TEXRail ridership increases as trains mark first anniversary

TEXRail monthly ridership has increased more than 55% since February 2019.

February marked the first month of paid service, and during that time, 32,998 riders were logged. In the month of December, the number of riders increased to 51,217.

“We found that more business and leisure travelers are choosing to leave their cars at home and not worry about getting stuck in traffic,” said Jon-Erik “AJ” Arjanen, vice president and chief operating officer for Trinity Metro’s TEXRail, in a statement.

The increased ridership was expected, TEXRail officials said, especially after the commuter rail line began operating more trains in July. With the increased frequency, trains began to arrive at each station every 30 minutes instead of every hour. This increased the number of daily train trips from 48 to 73.

The TEXRail trains are marking their first anniversary of service this month after officially launching in January 2019. Service for the first month of operation was free, and 98,481 rides were logged during that time.

Since then, destination trends have emerged. The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s TEXRail station at Terminal B “consistently” ranks first in ridership on weekdays and Sundays, TEXRail said in a statement. On Saturdays, the Main Street station in Grapevine had the highest ridership.

Arjanen credits the train’s reliability as a key to increasing ridership, noting that in December, the trains operated on schedule 99.15% of the time.

“In 2020, we expect our commuter base to grow,” he said.