Construction begins to ramp up on DART Silver Line

In November, Dallas Area Rapid Transit provided details on a number of aspects of its Silver Line rail.

The $1.266 billion project aims to connect seven cities and four counties in the North Dallas area, including the city of Richardson. Expected to be in service by March 2023, the Silver Line includes 10 new rail stations along a 26-mile alignment from Grapevine to Plano.

“The next few months will see a lot more construction for this project,” said Carlos Huerta, DART representative for community affairs. “Up until now, we’ve seen a lot of utility and infrastructure work for the project.”

Once complete, the project will include four rail connections to the DART Green, Orange and Red Lines as well as a TEXRail connection in Grapevine. Among the stations included in the project are two in Richardson—the first will be a new station at The University of Texas at Dallas, and the second will be the existing station at CityLine.

“Patience is a virtue, and this project proves that,” Mayor Paul Voelker said at the groundbreaking of the UT Dallas station. “This Silver Line will pay dividends for our residents, our businesses and this university.”

The line also includes two stops at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The DFW North station will include a center-type platform, 362 parking spaces and four bus bays, Huerta said.

DART officials are projecting daily ridership of 800 passengers when the North Station first opens in 2023 and daily ridership of about 1,300 passengers by 2040.

Among the benefits for the DFW North station will be shared parking opportunities, mixed-use developments near the airport and an additional transfer option for TEXRail passengers, Huerta said.