CTroyMathis
21 March 2002, 04:27 AM
Light rail pulling into stations early
DART lines to Plano, Garland ahead of schedule, under cost
03/21/2002
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
The end of the line for DART's light-rail expansion into Plano and Garland will arrive much sooner and much cheaper than planned.
Trains will ferry customers to and from Plano stations starting Dec. 9, six months ahead of schedule. Rail service to Garland is to start Nov. 18, a week earlier than planned. The 11-mile Garland line and the 12-mile North Central line extension from North Dallas to Plano also stand about 10 percent under budget.
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors' announcement this week couldn't have come at a better time for traffic-weary commuters, Plano Mayor Jeran Akers said. Construction at the High Five interchange at LBJ Freeway and Central Expressway will hit high gear when trains reach Plano.
"It's going to ease traffic along Central Expressway," he said.
Residents will be able to ride a train from downtown Plano to downtown Dallas in about 45 minutes. Trains will run every 10 minutes from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. Because of anticipated demand, the agency expects to run additional trains during the heaviest part of peak hours.
The frequency should allow Dallas riders to find seats on trains that come from Plano and Richardson.
DART officials attribute the lines' progress to several factors, including good construction weather. Agency officials also applied several useful lessons they learned from building DART's 20-mile starter rail system that opened fully in 1997.
Rather than have six companies lay track for light-rail trains, for example, DART awarded one contract to a single company for six rail segments, said Tim McKay, senior vice president for project management. When work slowed in one area, contractors shifted to another area to get ahead of schedule.
That benefited the Plano line, which is being built by Martin K. Eby Construction of Wichita, Kan. Although it sits at the end of the North Central line, it was in the perfect spot for contractors to keep busy when activity slowed on other rail sections heading to Garland or Richardson.
"There's not only an economy of scale, the contractors get in a rhythm," Mr. McKay said. "Now we're gathering lessons learned for the next phase of construction."
DART plans several changes to complement the rail service. Starting in December, express buses will no longer run from Plano or Richardson to downtown Dallas. The transit agency will start a shuttle bus service from downtown Plano to the Collin Creek Mall area on the other side of Central Expressway.
In addition, a circulator bus route will run from DART's West Plano Transit Center at Coit Road and 15th Street to the station beside Central at the President George Bush Turnpike. Other rail segments and stations will open before the Plano section. DART will open the LBJ/Skillman station on its Garland line on May 6, and the agency is scheduled to open seven stations in North Dallas and Richardson on July 1. Both of those dates are on schedule.
A light-rail line to Fair Park and Pleasant Grove should open in 2007, while light-rail trains will run to Farmers Branch and Carrollton by 2008. Another light-rail line to Irving/Las Colinas and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport should open by 2010.
DART lines to Plano, Garland ahead of schedule, under cost
03/21/2002
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
The end of the line for DART's light-rail expansion into Plano and Garland will arrive much sooner and much cheaper than planned.
Trains will ferry customers to and from Plano stations starting Dec. 9, six months ahead of schedule. Rail service to Garland is to start Nov. 18, a week earlier than planned. The 11-mile Garland line and the 12-mile North Central line extension from North Dallas to Plano also stand about 10 percent under budget.
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors' announcement this week couldn't have come at a better time for traffic-weary commuters, Plano Mayor Jeran Akers said. Construction at the High Five interchange at LBJ Freeway and Central Expressway will hit high gear when trains reach Plano.
"It's going to ease traffic along Central Expressway," he said.
Residents will be able to ride a train from downtown Plano to downtown Dallas in about 45 minutes. Trains will run every 10 minutes from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. Because of anticipated demand, the agency expects to run additional trains during the heaviest part of peak hours.
The frequency should allow Dallas riders to find seats on trains that come from Plano and Richardson.
DART officials attribute the lines' progress to several factors, including good construction weather. Agency officials also applied several useful lessons they learned from building DART's 20-mile starter rail system that opened fully in 1997.
Rather than have six companies lay track for light-rail trains, for example, DART awarded one contract to a single company for six rail segments, said Tim McKay, senior vice president for project management. When work slowed in one area, contractors shifted to another area to get ahead of schedule.
That benefited the Plano line, which is being built by Martin K. Eby Construction of Wichita, Kan. Although it sits at the end of the North Central line, it was in the perfect spot for contractors to keep busy when activity slowed on other rail sections heading to Garland or Richardson.
"There's not only an economy of scale, the contractors get in a rhythm," Mr. McKay said. "Now we're gathering lessons learned for the next phase of construction."
DART plans several changes to complement the rail service. Starting in December, express buses will no longer run from Plano or Richardson to downtown Dallas. The transit agency will start a shuttle bus service from downtown Plano to the Collin Creek Mall area on the other side of Central Expressway.
In addition, a circulator bus route will run from DART's West Plano Transit Center at Coit Road and 15th Street to the station beside Central at the President George Bush Turnpike. Other rail segments and stations will open before the Plano section. DART will open the LBJ/Skillman station on its Garland line on May 6, and the agency is scheduled to open seven stations in North Dallas and Richardson on July 1. Both of those dates are on schedule.
A light-rail line to Fair Park and Pleasant Grove should open in 2007, while light-rail trains will run to Farmers Branch and Carrollton by 2008. Another light-rail line to Irving/Las Colinas and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport should open by 2010.