RobertB

I had been wondering how well DART's new service to the American Airlines Center was doing. Would it introduce people to the LRT, or would it just be an added expense with no return? Looks like the spur line, the first phase of the NW line to Carrollton, is a success -- at least for one high-profile event. By my calculations, DART and The T combined to board an additional 21,000 riders for each of the two days, most of which came from the DART LRT side. Not that the TRE came up short -- they doubled their normal ridership on the first day, then blew past double on the second day. Way to go!

DART News Release
http://www.dart.org/news.asp?ID=628

Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons, DART
Richard Maxwell, The T
March 10, 2005

Dallas seminars motivate big rail ridership

American Airlines Center and Reunion Arena weren't the only places boasting big attendance numbers during the recent two-day "Get Motivated!" seminars. DART Rail and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) served nearly 90,000 riders each day.

On an average weekday, the 45-mile DART Rail System and the 35-mile TRE commuter line, which connects Fort Worth and Dallas, serve nearly 69,000 customers.

Larry Buersmeyer, Director of Parking Services at American Airlines Center, says, "Without DART and the TRE this event would not have been a success. Many guests and employees commented about the ease and convenience of using DART and the TRE. The high ridership on DART light rail and the TRE allowed traffic on the roadways to flow better than expected."

TRE sets, breaks ridership record
The TRE, a joint service of DART and the Fort Worth T, posted record ridership that was nearly double the average weekday ridership. On Tuesday, March 8, 14,222 customers rode some portion of the 35-mile line, breaking the previous record of 11,206 set last March. That record lasted one day. It was exceeded with a jump to 16,291 on March 9. More than 7,000 trips are made on the TRE on an average weekday.

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