The gist
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, according to a news release. It will also hold an underground fueling tank, an overhead canopy structure and a storage yard.
The groundbreaking comes after DART and the Denton County Transportation Authority suspended plans for a joint rail maintenance facility earlier this year. The facility would have been located in Lewisville and serviced the DCTA’s A-train vehicles and DART’s Silver Line vehicles.
Instead, DART’s maintenance facility will be located behind a 20,000-square-foot office building at 3201 Technology Drive that was purchased by the transit agency earlier this year. The office building will serve as an operations and maintenance hub for Silver Line staff once the Silver Line starts revenue service.
“We are grateful to our partners at the city of Plano for sharing the vision of bringing this facility to Plano, allowing DART to continue investing our agency’s assets into our member cities and growing transit opportunities across the DART service area,” President and CEO Nadine Lee said in a statement. “The Silver Line is a major piece to solving the mobility puzzle in North Texas by providing a strong east to west connection between Plano and [Dallas Fort Worth International] Airport.”
What you need to know
Construction is expected to have minimal impact on road traffic and the surrounding area, according to the news release. The facility is located on a 14-acre parcel of land near the end of the Silver Line track alignment.
Officials expect the facility’s proximity to Shiloh Road Station will reduce the number of empty trips needed to begin daily operations and will provide staff easier responses to track or vehicle issues, according to the news release.
“The Silver Line EMF is proof that it takes a lot of various groups working together to deliver a project that will benefit many,” said Dee Leggett, executive vice president and chief development officer, in a statement. “With the area’s continued growth, we believe DART having a dedicated presence in Plano is a win for everyone.”
Zooming out
The Silver Line is expected to open revenue service in late 2025 or early 2026, according to DART’s website. The rail will run 26 miles and traverse seven North Texas cities including Coppell, Grapevine, Plano and Richardson.
Officials began segmented testing of the rail earlier this year. Segmented testing is expected to wrap up in early 2025 before officials test the complete track during summer 2025.
