This is Dallas, Texas. Serving a population of 6.7 million people, a network of light
rail and commuter rail lines connect this US city, servicing 84 stations across four
counties. Consisting of 7 rail lines and 175 miles of track, the system travels across
the region, with trains connecting various corners of Dallas and Fort Worth. But how
did the system grow from its original stations to the network it is today? My name’s Zach,
and this is the Evolution of the Network.
The initial sections of Dallas’ light rail network opened in June 1996, with two lines
radiating southwest from downtown. Starting from a station at Pearl, the lines travelled
on a dedicated transitway through downtown to West End, before heading south to 8th & Corinth.
From there, the two lines split, with the Red line travelling four stops to Westmoreland,
and the Blue line travelling two stops to Illinois. Six months later in December, commuter
rail service began out of Union Station, with trains on the Trinity Railway Express serving
two stations to South Irving. Red line service was extended north from downtown in January
1997, with three additional stations taking the line to Park Lane. Between Pearl and Mockingbird,
the line ran through an underground tunnel parallel to the North Central Expressway,
the only underground section on the system. Five months later in May, a three-station
extension opened at the opposite end of the Blue line, with trains now ending at Ledbetter.
Blue line trains were extended through the tunnel in September 1999, with the line now
ending at Mockingbird. On year later in September 2000, commuter rail service on the Trinity
Railway Express was extended towards Fort Worth, adding three more stations to Richland
Hills. An infill station opened on this stretch two months later, with trains also stopping
at West Irving. In the light rail tunnel, an infill station was added at Cityplace in
December, serving trains on both the Red and Blue lines. Underground platforms were also
partially constructed at the neighboring Knox-Henderson station. However due to community opposition,
they were never connected to the surface, and sit abandoned to this day. The Blue line
was extended one stop north in September 2001, branching off east from Mockingbird to service
White Rock station. Four months later in December, Trinity Railway Express service was extended
into downtown Fort Worth, adding stations at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation
Center and the Fort Worth Texas & Pacific Station. On the Blue line, service was expanded
east an additional stop in May 2002, with trains now ending at LBJ/Skillman. Two months
later in July, Red line trains were extended outside the city limits for the first time,
with six more stations opening north of Park Lane to Galatyn Park. Blue Line service continued
to expand east in November of that year, adding two new stations at Forest/Jupiter and Downtown
Garland. Finally in December, Red line trains were extended north once again, adding three
more stations to the present terminus at Parker Road. Regular service on the Trinity Railway
Express began stopping at the new Victory station in October 2003, serving the adjacent
American Airlines Center. While a temporary platform had opened in July 2001, the site
was initially only serviced during special events, with a permanent platform being constructed
in advance of regular service. Special event trains on the Red and Blue lines also extended
to Victory starting in November 2004, bringing passengers to events in the area. Full service
to Victory station on the light rail network began five years later in September 2009,
with the launch of the Green line. Running from Victory station along the downtown transitway
to Pearl, the line then branched off south to Martin Luther King, Junior station, serving
three stops along the way. An infill stop opened on the eastern branch of the Blue line
in December 2010, with trains now servicing Lake Highland station. At the same time, two
extensions opened on the Green line, adding fifteen stations at both ends of the route.
At the south end, a four-stop extension brought trains to Buckner, while at the north ends,
an eleven-station extension brough service to the present terminus at North Carrollton/Frankford.
A fourth light rail line also launched at this time, running peak only service between
Bachman on the Green line and Parker Road on the Red Line. A second commuter rail line
launched six months later in June 2011, connecting the newly opened Green line to the nearby
city of Denton. Starting from Trinity Mills station, the line serviced five newly constructed
stops to downtown Denton, with trains running regularly six days per week. One year later
in July 2012, South Irving station on the Trinity Railway Express was renamed, now being
known as Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing. Various stations on the light rail network
were also renamed, with the Blue, Orange, and Red line station at Cityplace becoming
Cityplace/Uptown, and the adjacent station at Pearl becoming Pearl/Arts District. Service
on the Orange line was also expanded to run seven days per week between LBJ/Central and
Bachman, and extended three stations west to the Irving Convention Center. Five months
later in December, a one stop extension of the Blue line opened, bringing trains east
to Downtown Rowlett. At the same time, an additional two stations were added to the
Orange Line, with trains travelling west to Belt Line. The Trinity Railway Express Station
at Hurst/Bell was also renamed, with Hurst being dropped from the name. Two years later
in August 2014, a final extension of the Orange line was opened, bringing rapid transit service
to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s Terminal A. Bush Turnpike station on the Red and Orange
lines was renamed two years later in March 2016, now being known as CityLine/Bush. In
October, Dallas’ Union Station was also renamed after Eddie Bernice Johnson, changing
the station name for Blue, Red, and Trinity Railway Express stop. Later that month, a
two stop southward extension of the Blue line opened, bringing trains to their present end
station at the University of North Texas’ Dallas campus. Dallas’ third commuter rail
line launched two years later in January 2019, connecting Fort Worth to the Dallas Fort Worth
Airport. Starting from the Fort Worth T&P Station, the TexRail line followed the Trinity
Railway Express to the Fort Worth ITC, before branching off to service seven new stations
to Dallas Fort Worth Airport. At the airport, TexRail serviced a platform at Terminal B,
connected to the light rail platform at Terminal A via a covered pedestrian walkway. Two months
later in March, Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center on TexRail and the Trinity Railway
Express was renamed, know being known as Fort Worth Central Station. Later that year in
August, the Blue, Orange, and Red line station at Mockingbird was also renamed, recognizing
the presence of the nearby Southern Methodist University. Finally in April 2021, an infill
station opened on the western leg of the Orange line, with trains now stopping at Hidden Ridge.
This brings us to the Dallas light rail and commuter rail map that we know today.
In the years to come, various expansions are planned for the Dallas light rail and commuter
rail networks, which will see new lines and stations open across the region. In late 2024,
an infill station will open near the north end of the Orange and Red lines, with trains
now stopping at 12th St. At the same time, a new commuter rail line will launch, connecting
the new light rail station to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. Starting from Shiloh Road,
the line runs west to Terminal B at the Airport, serving four newly constructed stations. The
line will also interchange with various existing stations, including 12th St and CityLine/Bush
on the Orange and Red line, Downtown Carrollton on the Green Line, and Dallas Fort Worth Airport
North on TexRail.
That was the evolution of Dallas’ light rail and commuter rail network, giving us
the seven lines that we know today. If you haven’t already, be sure to watch our Evolution
of the Network videos on other American cities, which you can access by clicking the button
in the top right corner. Don’t forget to leave a like if you enjoyed this video, and
comment down below to join in the discussion. My name’s Zach, and I’ll be Vanishing
Underground, until the next one.