Organizations and cities throughout North Texas showcased various transportation-related plans for the upcoming FIFA World Cup games.
Dallas Stadium, also known as AT&T Stadium, will host nine games between June 14 and July 14.
North Central Texas Council of Governments, along with the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Trinity Metro, Trinity Railway Express and the Texas Department of Transportation, were part of a press conference April 2 to discuss the myriad of travel options.
“The FIFA World Cup represents something entirely new: the largest sporting event in the world coming to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country,” said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the NCTCOG. “Embracing this historic opportunity required unprecedented collaboration across our cities, counties, state transportation department and transit agencies to deliver a transportation strategy worthy of a global stage.”
A closer look
The transportation plan includes the use of public transit, how to get to games and the FIFA Fan Festival, as well as what traffic would look like on various highways across North Texas.
According to the presentation, the final plan was submitted to FIFA on March 31.
Morris said the plans started 2 1/2 years ago, and it was tweaked each time the Dallas-Fort Worth area hosted a special event.
Morris said the area expects to see up to 1 million visitors. Coupled with the local traffic, that’s nearly 10 million people in the area, he said.
Public transit will connect visitors from the airport, the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park, the International Broadcast Center at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas and CentrePort Station in Fort Worth. The Convention Center Station will be closed due to ongoing construction at the convention center, according to a news release.
There will be additional capacity on trains across the system to help accommodate visitors who often use public transit, he said. Morris said there were two additional train sets, two locomotives and four additional cars purchased to ensure adequate capacity.
“By aligning our partners under one coordinated vision, we have built an innovative system that brings together rail, bus and smart infrastructure to meet the scale and energy of the FIFA World Cup,” Morris said. “Our goal is simple: to provide every fan with an experience of a lifetime supported by transportation that is seamless and reliable.”
The specifics
NCTCOG developed a creative approach for match day transportation, knowing FIFA spectators rely far more heavily on public transit than typical crowds at events at Dallas Stadium, Morris said. Ticket holders can ride the Trinity Railway Express from Fort Worth or Dallas to CentrePort Station. From there, they will take a charter bus to the Bus Hub, the designated transit drop-off zone near the stadium. Fans will then have a half-mile walk to the entrance, which should be about 10 minutes, Morris said.
From Victory Station or Fort Worth Central Station to the stadium, fans should expect the trip on public transit to take about 1 1/2 hours. Users will be advised to begin the journey to the game four hours before the match.
The region’s freeway and highway system will provide multiple options to drive to Dallas Stadium for events, with 16,000 parking spots available, said Karla Windsor, a senior program manager for NCTCOG.
She added that the eSports Stadium Arlington will be the designated ride-share location, a change from events at AT&T Stadium/Dallas Stadium that have ride share in Lot 15.
Road construction in the I-30 corridor and near the convention center in Dallas will be scaled back during a designated quiet period, from May 26 to July 23, according to a news release.
“Our plan moves visitors from rail to charter buses with dedicated routes connecting key transit hubs to the stadium,” Windsor said. “We appreciate our local, state and federal partners for lending their collaboration in the development of this plan.”
What else?
Morris mentioned the two major airports, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, will welcome visitors from all over the world.
According to a news release from DFW Airport, various public forms of public transit will access to and from the airport, such as DART Orange Line to Terminal A, DART’s Silver Line to Terminal B, Trinity Metro’s TEXRail to Terminal B and Trinity Railway Express that links to CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, with terminal access from Gate D16 via the TRE Link shuttle.
Morris pointed out there are also 30 general aviation airports, such as Fort Worth Meachem International Airport, Addison Airport, McKinney National Airport and Arlington Municipal Airport that will handle private flights.
