Preliminary track testing could begin in December, but DART officials won't test vehicles on the Coppell portion until January, Project Communications Manager Mario Zavala said.
The $2 billion rail spans 26 miles and traverse seven North Texas cities including Coppell, Grapevine, Plano and Richardson. Testing in Richardson is ongoing. The funding is a combination of DART sales tax, U.S. Department of Transportation loads and state and federal grants, Zavala said.
What is happening
During testing crews will assess the track validity to ensure it can handle specific speeds as well as examine the track for any sections too crooked or curved, Zavala said. These tests also include checking traffic signals and railroad crossing mechanisms functionality. Additional testing will then occur with the vehicles running along the track.
The Silver Line rail features ten stations across North Texas from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Plano, including one in Cypress Waters development in Dallas, according to DART documents. The station is about 75% constructed and Zavala said he anticipates completion in 2025.
The Coppell portion of the rail will contain seven concrete wall panels that help reduce noise and obscure the train from residential view. As part of the agreement with the city, DART is also providing additional landscaping around the walled areas, he said. The walls will range from 12 to 15 feet in height.
DART has eight vehicles for the Silver Line designed by Swiss manufacturing company Stadler. Five of the vehicles will be in operation while three will act as spares, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Vehicles will be rotated for maintenance on a regular basis when the Silver Line launches.
The vehicles feature electric diesel multiple-unit-powered engines that meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Each car can seat 235 passengers and features multidirectional seats, overhead storage and internal CCTV cameras. The maximum capacity is over 480 passengers, however this assumes they are without luggage, Zavala said.
The Silver Line project also includes an equipment maintenance facility, which broke ground in October. The facility was originally planned in Lewisville before DART and the Denton County Transportation Authority terminated the agreement in May and plans moved to Plano.
The 40,000-square-foot facility, located near Technology Drive in Plano, will feature two buildings for Silver Line vehicles to be housed and maintained. It will also hold an underground fueling tank, an overhead canopy structure and a storage yard.
What else?
The Silver Line project is over 80% complete and DART expects to open revenue service in late 2025 or early 2026, Zavala said.
“The Silver Line is providing more connectivity to the area, especially running east-west,” Zavala said. “The population of DFW is only growing and we’re looking to provide another alternative, to give people that connectivity that they need anywhere in the cities from Plano all the way to the DFW airport.”
