Blue Line (DART)
| Blue Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:DART Blue Line bullet 2025.svg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| File:Downtown Rowlett Station July 2015 11.jpg Blue Line train at Downtown Rowlett | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | DART | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | DART rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | DART | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | June 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 26.8 mi (43.1 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Overhead catenary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | At grade, elevated, underground | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas (USA), operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the Red Line, it is one of the original modern rail lines in Dallas.
Route
[edit | edit source]The southern terminus of the line is currently at UNT Dallas in south Dallas at University Hills Blvd. just south of Camp Wisdom Rd. The line runs north, under the Dallas Convention Center and through downtown Dallas. After leaving Mockingbird, the line diverts to the northeast towards White Rock Lake. The line then goes north and then east into Garland, finally ending in Rowlett.
History
[edit | edit source]The rail line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Illinois to Pearl in the northeast corner of downtown. In May 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird in September 1999, in preparation for the future extension to Garland.
On September 24, 2001, the Blue Line extended to White Rock, just northwest of White Rock Lake. On May 6, 2002, the Blue Line was extended to the LBJ/Skillman, just beyond LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635). It was extended to Downtown Garland on November 18, 2002, and to its current northern terminus, Downtown Rowlett, on December 3, 2012.[1]
DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, approved in October 2006, calls for the Blue Line to be extended south beyond Ledbetter to the University of North Texas at Dallas, as well as a branch along Bonnie View road to Interstate 20 and the SouthPort Intermodal Terminal. The plan also includes a new Lake Highlands station near Skillman Street and Walnut Hill Lane, which opened as DART's second infill station in December 2010.[2]
In October 2014, construction began for a 2.6-mile extension south from Ledbetter station to the University of North Texas at Dallas, adding two new stations to the line: Camp Wisdom and UNT Dallas. The extension opened for service on October 24, 2016.[3][4]
Future plans
[edit | edit source]The D2 Subway was planned to be implemented in 2028 and reroute the Blue Line off of the downtown transit corridor and over the former Green Line's western segment to terminate at North Carrollton/Frankford station. In 2023, DART put D2 plans on an indefinite hold and removed it from DART's 20-year funding plan.[5] This change was due to greatly reduced ridership following the pandemic.[6]
Stations
[edit | edit source]Daily Service
[edit | edit source]- Listed from north to south
Special Event Service
[edit | edit source]- Deep Ellum (Also served by Green Line)
- Baylor University Medical Center (Also served by Green Line)
- Fair Park (Also served by Green Line)
- Victory (Also served by Green Line, Orange Line)
Deferred
[edit | edit source]- Knox-Henderson Station in Uptown, Dallas
- Plano Road in Lake Highlands, Dallas[7]
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
Southbound Blue Line train at Akard
-
Passengers at White Rock
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ DART Blue Line launches long-awaited rail service in Rowlett Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ The Dallas Morning News - DART green-lights 40 miles of new rail. Originally published October 25, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Northeast Corridor: Final Local Environmental Assessment (Final LEA)" [report]. DART Historical Archive, pp. 1-25, 1-26. The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas.
External links
[edit | edit source]Lua error in Module:Attached_KML at line 226: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
