Rail transit was chosen by Plano residents as the top transportation choice for the future, per survey feedback of the city's comprehensive plan update. The city continues to work with Dallas Area Rapid Transit to plan for regional growth, but with the expense of rail transit expansion, both Plano and DART are examining other options better suited for the area's demand.

"What we're doing with Plano and other cities is trying to give them the best collection of services for that growth," said Steve Salin, vice president of DART rail planning.

Deputy City Manager Frank Turner said Plano has an employment population of 150,000, with more people commuting into the city than leaving. He also said the population of Plano is likely to grow to 300,000 in the next few years, and the convenience of rail is conducive to the live, work and play environment in which people would rather not be reliant on a personal vehicle.

A new technology called bus rapid transit is one alternative to light rail that would provide a system similar to rail transit, but requires nearly one-third less funding and a shorter timeframe to build. Turner said the flexibility BRT offers also provides an opportunity for other cities not currently a member of DART to become connected to one another.

"Doing things like bus rapid transit that are more appropriate to [those cities' needs] might be funded at a lower level," he said. "It may give new interest to building a more regional network."

Bus rapid transit

BRT is a system that operates similarly to light rail by using an exclusive right-of-way route, running at a faster speed and following longer routes. The system differs from light rail with its significant lower capital costs of both implementation and operations. The integrated system uses specially designed vehicles that can run on roadways or dedicated lanes to maximize efficiency. Salin said the typical cost for light rail is $60 million–$80 million per mile, while BRT track can range from $10–$20 million per mile.

BRT can operate on an arterial street with its own lane, on a freeway, within high occupancy vehicle lanes or even on existing railway track, Salin said. In addition, if a BRT system is created, Salin explained that it could be transformed into light rail track as growth evolved.

"[Track] can be used as a service for BRT or as ridership grows, you can subsequently implement a rail project that provides more capacity by train as opposed to BRT," he said.

BRT systems are used both nationally and internationally in locations such as Phoenix, Los Angeles and Sydney.

Prospects to expand

Salin said the system's flexibility allows for Plano to be a key player in BRT operation. The US 75 corridor heading north provides a land of opportunity for increased mass transit where DART already owns track from Parker Road to the Sherman and Denison area, he said. There is about 50 miles of unused track that continues past the Parker Road Station, which marks the last stop of the Red Line.

Along that unused track are McKinney and Allen, cities that are not members of DART, but use alternative transportation services to connect to Plano's DART stations, such as Texoma Area Paratransit System. But Salin said he cautions the public against a fragmented system with multiple transit authorities because it threatens the region's seamless travel.

"As we look ahead at the next 30 to 40 years, it is expected the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area will exceed 10 million people, so we need to be really thinking ahead as to what our future needs are going to be and how we tie this region together," Turner said. "It cannot be done by highways and surface streets alone."

Current growth

The opening of the DART rail in downtown Plano in 2002 began urbanization and development throughout the area that today has added more than 500 apartments and 65 townhomes within one quarter of a mile of the downtown transit stop. The increased density continues to support retail and local businesses in downtown, which in turn, provides an advantage to DART's system.

"The growth of DART is coming from [DART] having created the urban area around it," Shea said.

Lyons said both DART rail stations in Plano are popular with an average daily ridership of 3,600 at Parker Road station and 600 at the downtown Plano station. While he said that the Plano stations can take on additional ridership, DART is considering a plan to lengthen platforms by 100 feet to enable a third rail car, which would in turn increase capacity by 50 percent.

Morgan Lyons, assistant vice president of DART communications and community engagement, pointed out the full parking lots at Plano's Parker Road station, which includes a separate lot for nonresidents, as representative of a demand by nonmember cities that use DART's services. Bonnie Shea, owner of Urban Rio and Urban Crust restaurants, said she has noticed an influx of people who come to downtown Plano from McKinney and Allen, and adding another connecting point past Parker Road would drive more traffic without adding to the congestion and parking issues of downtown.

"There's a lot of opportunity to market our area through the DART system," Shea said. "I think that having one system connecting [these cities], we could mingle those marketing dollars."

While no options have been set in stone by either city or DART, the vision for a more connected region is on the table.

"We think that a single, big-picture transit authority is an eventuality, but when it will occur, I don't know," Salin said.