Kapok Belt Track Line is a 67.7 mile (109 km) long commuter rail line in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Rockwall Counties in the US state of Texas. The line will provide services from the northeastern suburbs of Dallas to Southwest Fort Worth with a major terminal on the north end of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The project has been broken down into several paths being developed by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Fort Worth Transportation Authority.
Together, the corridor connects downtown Fort Worth, Grapevine, and DFW Airport with Carrollton (at the junction with the Denton County Transportation Authority A-train commuter train line and the light rail line of the DART Green Line), Addison, Richardson and Plano.
The current name for the line comes from a former subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad, St. Louis Southwestern Railway, commonly known as Cotton Belt, which previously had lines. DART bought rights-of-way in 1990 for future transit use.
A plan to use private funds for the development of both Dallas County and Tarrant County areas of the Cotton Belt Train Line was abandoned in 2013, but T began building in the Tarrant County segment, TEXRail, in late August 2016.
Video Cotton Belt Rail Line
TEXRail
TEXRail (formerly known as Southwest-to-Northeast Train Corridor) is a segment under construction in Tarrant County, Texas, USA that will provide services from Southwest Fort Worth to DFW International Airport through Grapevine and other Tarrant County communities. It is being built by the Fort Worth Transport Authority ("The T") and is scheduled to open in 2018.
T plans to provide TEXRail services using Diesel Multiple Units capable of carrying up to 450 passengers. In April 2015, Stadler Rail was awarded a contract for eight 4 FLIRT3 DMU articulated cars, signed at a ceremony on June 9, 2015 at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) by Chairman of The T (Mr. Scott Mahaffey) CEO of The T (Mr. Paul Ballard) and CEO of Stadler Rail (Mr. Peter Spuhler). In June 2016, The T received a Letter of No Prejudice from the FTA, which essentially gave green lighting to the project. In reaction to this, The T said it plans to begin construction early in July 2016, on track for its planned opening date in 2018.
TEXRail started construction in late August 2016.
Maps Cotton Belt Rail Line
DART Cotton Belt Line
The planned project route
The Dallas County segment (which after completion will be called the Cotton Belt Line) of the Cotton Belt will run about 26 miles (42 km) between Richardson or Plano to DFW International Airport.
This section is being planned by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and will serve as a crosstown route north of Dallas County and south of Collin County, connecting the Red Line at Richardson or Plano, Addison Transit Center, Green Line at Carrollton (where it will also be connected with the Denton County Transportation Authority's A-train train), and the Orange Trail at DFW North Station (where it will connect to the TEXRail segment to southwest Tarrant County). It would also pass through parts of the city of Coppell, a member of the DART charter that was later withdrawn from the system in 1989, although the possibility of rail services could attract Coppell to rejoin.
Project status
Part of this line is part of the DART 2030 Plan, which has initial expectations for opening around 2013. However, in 2010, DART canceled most of their 2030 plans, citing deficits and decreasing revenue. Proposals to use private funding to build both the Dallas and Tarrant County City segments are considered, but the plan is abandoned after the Texas Legislature fails to enact legislation required for the plan during the 2013 state legislative session.
DART officials have stated that without a private funding option, the agency will not be able to build the Dallas County segment until at least the mid-2030s. However, DART is reviewing the possibility of using bus rapid transit as a cheaper alternative to current funding.
DART announced at the end of August 2016 that the project could be completed by early 2022, after DART had noted that they had earned half the money needed to complete the project.
Planned station
The stations identified for this segment:
- Shiloh Road Station
- Station 12th Street
- CityLine/Bush Station
- UTD/Synergy Park
- Renner's Village
- Preston Road
- Trajectory of the Knoll
- Addison Transit Center
- Downtown Carrollton Station
- North Lake Station (suspended)
- North DFW Station
- DFW Airport Station
Downtown Wylie Extension
The planned project route
Additional segments of the Cotton Belt line have been labeled for future expansion. Although there is no planning yet, Segment 3 will extend the route from Shiloh Road in Plano to Wylie, with stations in downtown Murphy and Wylie. None of these cities are DART member cities.
Planned station
The stations identified for this segment:
- Murphy City Center
- Wylie Town Center
References
External links
- DART Regional Rail Corridor Cotton Belt
- TEXRail
- Proposed Route Map
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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