What’s happening?
The funds will be used to purchase nine replacement vehicles for the TRE, according to the Regional Transportation Council’s agenda. Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro will each contribute $30 million in local funds to the project.
“Our Trinity Railway Express rail vehicles are past their point of beauty,” Senior Program Manager Christie Gotti said. “They’re still clearly running, but they’re getting to that point that people are maybe getting uncomfortable being in those vehicles, so we wanted to help with that.”
Additional money will be needed to update all of the TRE’s vehicles, Gotti said. DART and Trinity Metro will pursue additional federal funding for the project, according to the agenda.
Taking a step back
The Regional Transportation Council approved grant awards for more than three dozen transportation projects across the metroplex during the meeting. Over the past two years, staff from the North Central Texas Council of Governments accepted funding requests from transportation agencies and local governments.
Staff recommended a list of projects that meet one or more of the Regional Transportation Council’s policy goals or assists the region in meeting federal performance targets, according to the agenda.
Also of note
The TRE rail is jointly owned and operated by Trinity Metro and DART, according to its website. The commuter rail connects downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas with several stops in between.
The Regional Transportation Council also awarded federal funds for Trinity Metro to purchase four new passenger rail vehicles for the TEXRail. The new vehicles will enable expansion of services to Near Southside Station in the Fort Worth Medical District.
Trinity Metro board Chair Jeff Davis said the funding will help advance Trinity Metro’s opportunities available for the TexRail and TRE.
“It will really be a benefit in the future of getting even better service with better vehicles in the future,” Davis said. “It’s a big deal for Dallas and Fort Worth and for the region to be able to do that project.”
