Orange Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)
The Orange Line (labeled as the Purple Line on maps prior to 2006) is a 37-mile-long (60 km) light rail line operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Dallas, Irving, Richardson and Plano, Texas. It runs from DFW Airport via downtown Dallas to Plano.
Route
The line's current northwestern terminus is DFW Airport Station, located inside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.[1] The line proceeds southeast through Irving, providing service to the Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas, and the University of Dallas, before merging with the Green Line north of Bachman Station and proceeding southwest to Downtown Dallas. The Orange Line shares the rest of its route with existing light rail lines, with stops along the Green Line from Bachman to Victory Station, through downtown Dallas on a corridor shared with the Green Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, and then northward along the Red Line corridor through Richardson to Plano.
History
Planning and construction
The Orange Line was planned as an extension to the DART Light Rail system at least as early as 2006, when DART's 2030 System Plan described a "Northwest Corridor" route with expected revenue service to both Love Field and DFW Airport by 2013.[2]
On March 12, 2007, the City of Dallas officials and DART made an agreement to make Love Field Station a surface-level facility, concluding a long debate over whether or not to make it an underground station closer to the airport.[3][better source needed][4]
On December 5, 2007, the Dallas Morning News ran a story reporting that DART President Gary Thomas said a previous cost estimate of $988 million was too low. The new cost estimate for the 14-mile project was $1.8 – $1.9 billion, he said.[5] The $900 million overrun in costs caused considerable outrage among political leaders[6] in Irving, Texas, the city the line runs through on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Irving leaders conducted an inquiry into the cost overruns.[7] Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also inquiring about the project's cost overruns.[8]
In February 2010, DART officials warned that the first two phases of the Orange Line might be delayed due to TXDOT problems along State Highway 114, which the Orange Line route follows. Utility relocation and road construction was expected to delay access to portions of the construction area where the rail line and highway intersect. DART estimated that the delay could push the opening of the Las Colinas extension from December 2011 to August 2012; however, DART also advised that it was determined to keep the original schedule and minimize any delays.[9][10]
In June 2010, DART placed new Orange Line construction on indefinite hold due to declining revenue. However, on September 15, 2010, the agency said that due to cost savings and federal funds, the plans for the line have been revived.[11]
On December 13, 2011, DART awarded a contract to design and build the Orange Line extension from Belt Line Road to DFW Airport, valued at about $150 million, with construction to start in early 2012 and an opening date of August 18, 2014, ahead of schedule.[12]
Opening and operation
The Orange Line started operation on December 6, 2010, with weekday peak service from the Parker Road station to Bachman station on stations shared with DART's Red and Green lines. The first Orange Line-exclusive stations opened with the extension to Irving Convention Center on July 30, 2012,[13] and two more were added on December 3, 2012.[14] The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014.[1] Hidden Ridge Station, which was planned with the rest of the Orange Line but deferred until further development justified its construction, opened to revenue service on April 12, 2021.[15]
Extension and rerouting proposals
When the extension to the airport was created, the western terminus of the proposed Cotton Belt Corridor (now the Silver Line) was DFW Airport North. To enable transfers to the airport, a secondary extension would add DFW Airport North to the Orange Line between DFW Airport Terminal A and Belt Line. However, by the time the Corridor was approved in 2018, expansions to SH-114 and SH-121 rendered this extension infeasible. Instead, the Silver Line was extended south to DFW Airport Terminal B by sharing tracks with TEXRail.[16]
The D2 Subway project would reroute the line's Downtown Dallas segment into a new subway tunnel between Victory and Deep Ellum with four new underground stations. The project was originally set for completion in 2028 but is currently on hiatus.
Stations
Daily service
- Listed from Northeast to Northwest. Peak-hour only service is highlighted.
| Station | Other lines | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Airport Terminal A | August 18, 2014 | Terminus; transfer to  TEXRail at adjacent DFW Airport/Terminal B station
| |
| Belt Line | December 3, 2012 | ||
| Dallas College North Lake Campus | |||
| Hidden Ridge | April 12, 2021 | ||
| Irving Convention Center | July 30, 2012 | ||
| Las Colinas Urban Center | |||
| University of Dallas | |||
| Bachman | December 6, 2010 | Westernmost transfer for Green Line | |
| Burbank | |||
| Inwood/Love Field | |||
| Southwestern Medical District/ Parkland | |||
| Market Center | |||
| Victory | November 13, 2004 | Transfer to  Trinity Railway Express
| |
| West End | June 14, 1996 | Westernmost transfer station for Red and Blue Lines | |
| Akard | |||
| St. Paul | Transfer to  M-Line Trolley (one block north)
| ||
| Pearl/Arts District | Easternmost transfer for Green Line | ||
| Cityplace/Uptown | December 18, 2000 | Transfer to M-Line Trolley
| |
| SMU/Mockingbird | January 10, 1997 | Northernmost transfer for Blue Line | |
| Lovers Lane | |||
| Park Lane | |||
| Walnut Hill | July 1, 2002 | ||
| Forest Lane | |||
| LBJ/Central | Terminus for Orange Line outside peak hours | ||
| Spring Valley | |||
| Arapaho Center | |||
| Galatyn Park | |||
| CityLine/Bush | December 9, 2002 | Formerly Bush Turnpike Station until March 14, 2016. Planned Silver Line transfer station | |
| Downtown Plano | |||
| Parker Road | Terminus for Red (full-time) and Orange Lines (peak-hour) |
Special event service
- Listed from East to West
- Lawnview (Also served by the Green Line)
- Hatcher (Also served by the Green Line)
- MLK, Jr. (Also served by the Green Line)
- Fair Park (Also served by the Green Line)
- Baylor University Medical Center (Also served by the Green Line)
- Deep Ellum (Also served by the Green Line)
Deferred
In the original Northwest Corridor plan, two stations were proposed but deferred pending future development.[17] To date, these stations have not been constructed.
- Loop 12 - Located at the intersection of Loop 12 and SH-114 near the former site of Texas Stadium.
- South Las Colinas - Located on Teleport Boulevard near SH-114 and a BNSF rail corridor.
References
- ^ a b "DART DFW Airport Station". Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ "DART Transit System Plan". DART.org.
- ^ "The Dallas Morning News". www.dallasnews.com. February 9, 2007.
- ^ "Rail will not tunnel under Love Field". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- ^ "A new cost estimate". Dallas Morning News.[dead link]
- ^ Formby, Brandon (December 8, 2007). "Irving leaders to press DART on Orange Line delays". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007.
- ^ Formby, Brandon (December 12, 2007). "Irving leaders scold DART for soaring cost on rail project". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008.
- ^ "Letter from Rep. Linda Harper-Brown to Mr. Gary Thomas" (PDF). Dallas Morning News. December 11, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008.
- ^ Lindenberger, Michael A.; Formby, Brandon (February 24, 2010). "Irving light-rail segments may be delayed". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
- ^ "First segments of DART Rail Orange Line likely delayed". DART.org (Press release). February 23, 2010.
- ^ Lindenberger, Michael A. (September 15, 2010). "DART finance committee OKs service changes, new debt in $1.26 billion budget". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "DART awards design-build contract for DFW Airport connection". Progressive Railroading. December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Formby, Brandon (July 30, 2012). "Irving's Orange Line ushers in new era in North Texas mass transit | | Dallas Morning News". Transportationblog.dallasnews.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ Leszcynski, Ray (December 4, 2012). "Big day for DART as routes are extended to Rowlett, D/FW Airport". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ "DART Celebrates Opening of Hidden Ridge Station in Irving". DART.org (Press release). April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Department of Transportation; Federal Transit Administration; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; Federal Aviation Administration (November 9, 2018). "Cotton Belt Corridor Regional Rail Project: Final Environmental Impact Statement/Record of Decision" (PDF). p. 2-32.
- ^ Northwest Corridor Light Rail Transit Line to Irving and DFW Airport in Dallas County, Texas: Final Impact Statement (PDF), Dallas Area Rapid Transit, July 17, 2008, pp. 2–15, 2–16, 2–17, 2–19
External links
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