Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum - Dallas seminars motivate big rail ridership

03-11-2005, 11:48 AM	#1
RobertB the-young-and-the-bright Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Official Mesquito Posts: 5,689	Dallas seminars motivate big rail ridership 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. __________________ As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

03-11-2005, 12:01 PM	#2
tamtagon Administrator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Atlanta - Dallas Posts: 9,169	That's very encouraging! It's clear that the downtown convention facilities (Conv Ctr, Reunion, AAC etc) gain from the presence of public transportation. This idea must be applied to the connection of downtown hotel room inventory, downtown area entertainment districts, and downtown convention facilities/visitor destinations. If Dallas is serious about developing a competitive advantage to attract tourist, conventions and trade shows the potential of pervasive connectivity within the central city cannot be ignored.

03-12-2005, 04:55 PM

aceplace

DFWU Metropolist

Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: dallas

Posts: 2,533

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamtagon

That's very encouraging!

It's clear that the downtown convention facilities (Conv Ctr, Reunion, AAC etc) gain from the presence of public transportation. This idea must be applied to the connection of downtown hotel room inventory, downtown area entertainment districts, and downtown convention facilities/visitor destinations. If Dallas is serious about developing a competitive advantage to attract tourist, conventions and trade shows the potential of pervasive connectivity within the central city cannot be ignored.

Absolutely. The fact that a visitor can easily get around on LRT, and also that the cars are very visible, makes a big difference in the perception of a lively downtown.

03-12-2005, 10:03 PM	#4
rjlevins Austinite Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin Posts: 429	Wow, that's huge. That is over 180,000 car trips prevented in a two day period. I bet it must have been fun riding the rails that day with the added passengers.

03-13-2005, 02:20 PM

texman

Supertall Skyscraper Member

Join Date: Oct 2003

Location: Texas State University

Posts: 2,576

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjlevins

I bet it must have been fun riding the rails that day with the added passengers.

I think its crowded during rush hour, but I can only imagine with all those extra people.

__________________
"And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed."-"Farewell to Penn Station," New York Times Editorial, October 30, 1963

03-14-2005, 09:48 AM	#6
Random Traffic Guy Please Drive Normally. Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: On the road again... Posts: 711	Rush hour is bad enough since it means having to stand up the entire trip. I did have a good trip one morning with about 200 Mary Kay ladies from Adams Mark. But then there was the one time I was leaving work about 8pm. I was reasonably happy since I figured I would get a seat for once. Then the train stopped at West End, and I got acquainted with my 500 newest Promise Keeper friends. Japanese subway style acquainted. All of them were going to the northernmost station, so no gradual respite as the trip went on. And they were all constantly yakking about the PK meeting. What a horrible trip... __________________ Public transit's usefulness is determined by land use planning more than by transit planning. Jarrett Walker - Human Transit Blog

03-14-2005, 10:07 AM

US75Guy

Sophisticated Boom-Boom

Join Date: Sep 2004

Location: North Dallas

Posts: 682

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjlevins

I bet it must have been fun riding the rails that day with the added passengers.

Fun isn't quite the word I would use as my nose was pressed to the window for the entire commute. But, in fairness, it was a friendly bunch, and it was encouraging to see so many people piling into the city center. DART added some trains that helped, and introduced a lot of people (who would normally NEVER come downtown) to the ease of taking the LRT into the city and enjoying it. I heard several people commenting how nice it was not having to worry about parking, traffic, etc.

03-14-2005, 10:25 AM	#8
tamtagon Administrator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Atlanta - Dallas Posts: 9,169	That reminds me of the first time I was in Dallas, on LBJ during afternoon rush hour. I was a college sophmore, and Corpus Christi was the biggest city I had ever visited up to that point. I was so completely excited to be stuck motionless on a five lane highway in a big city.

03-14-2005, 11:48 AM	#9
Random Traffic Guy Please Drive Normally. Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: On the road again... Posts: 711	When I interviewed for my first job here, I took the train from Park Lane into downtown. Not knowing the ticket procedure, all I had on me was $20s to pay. So I get my ticket and 18 SBA dollar coins back. Try not jingling your change nervously with that big pocket load And then there's the walk down the street: $jingle jingle $jingle jingle Beggar: "Spare change?" $jingle jingle Me: "No" $jingle jingle $jingle jingle __________________ Public transit's usefulness is determined by land use planning more than by transit planning. Jarrett Walker - Human Transit Blog Last edited by Random Traffic Guy : 03-14-2005 at 03:20 PM.

03-14-2005, 04:12 PM

#10

texman

Supertall Skyscraper Member

Join Date: Oct 2003

Location: Texas State University

Posts: 2,576

Quote:

Originally Posted by US75Guy

DART added some trains that helped.

I've noticed on weekends, they've made the 2 car trains constant on the red line and sometimes even 3.

__________________
"And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed."-"Farewell to Penn Station," New York Times Editorial, October 30, 1963

03-14-2005, 05:19 PM	#11
US75Guy Sophisticated Boom-Boom Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: North Dallas Posts: 682	I wish they would add some cars to their evening trains. After 7pm I always seem to get packed onto a single car with all of the other chumps putting in extra hours. I understand single trains at 10pm, but at 7pm? Does it cost that much more to add a second car to existing scheduled trains? Maybe I'm missing a cost-savings here...

03-15-2005, 07:07 PM	#12
psukhu Supertall Skyscraper Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Frisco, Denton County Posts: 2,736	DART trains are full, but not crowded. Imagine having to let three trains go by before you can get on because there's too many people. Imagine every daily rush hour looks like a game just ended at the AAC. Welcome to NYC rush hour. Everyone from my office who went to the seminars took DART or the TRE. Most of them rode DART or the TRE for the first time. Lack of parking at the remote suburban stations seemed to be the only issue.

03-16-2005, 01:32 PM	#13
FCDallas96 Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Land of the Gar Posts: 26	Speaking of parking at the suburbun stations, does anyone know why there are cones blocking the curb parking on 4th Street north of the Downtown Garland station? There is no construction going on that I can see.

09-14-2005, 05:52 PM	#14
CTroyMathis Sea™ Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: New London.CT Posts: 4,826	Related to rail ridership: DART on a roll as gas prices soar By: Amy Morenz, Staff Writer 09/12/2005 http://wwcw.zwire.com/site/news.cfm...id=528208&rfi=6 Instead of meeting neighbors at a local picnic, Dallas-area drivers are meeting them in carpools, van pools and mass transit as gas prices continually ratchet higher. Ridership on Dallas Area Rapid Transit's carpools, vanpools, bus and light rail systems is increasing as gas prices reach record levels. Though the prices have softened somewhat this week after reaching as high as $3.29 per gallon for regular unleaded during Labor Day weekend and $3 gas is now the exception, instead of the norm, Plano stations were pumping fuel for $2.85 to $3.09 per gallon, according to dallasgasprices.com. That's still about 45 cents per gallon more than early last week and $1.23 per gallon more than a year ago, according to the Web site's figures. Instead of asking patrons to call each other to find a ride, DART's online ride-share system offers links for potential vanpool riders. A long list of people wanting to share a ride uses the computerized system to find others who live and work nearby. DART's RideMatch system tells how many miles they might travel and estimates potential savings. "Dallas is leading the nation in carpools," said Tony Mendoza DART's senior manager consumer programs. "I travel 15 miles one way and can spend $600 a year. With gas going up, I'll find someone to ride together," The regional transit agency receives 30 to 35 calls a day on its 214-747-RIDE line instead of the six to eight calls it used to take. Along with its online matching system, DART provides information on reaching potential carpoolers. "We'll ask people to call and say they live in Plano on such and such a street, and the commuter will generate a list of people to live close by," Mendoza said. "We recommend people alternate driving so there's no exchange of money." DART helps organize vanpools with six to 15 employees sharing rides for $500 per month. It lists 66 vanpools on its web site, including one leaving East Plano to Greenville, another between Allen and Carrollton, and one between Allen and Greenville. Vanpools typically work best for longer distances, Mendoza said. Commuters are also turning to DART's rail lines, on which ridership increased 4.8 percent from last July's 55,434 to this year's 58,072. DART's 183 bus routes includes express bus service to downtown Dallas and stops within Plano, and overall bus ridership increased 3.3 percent from last year's 122,902 to 126,926. DART has more bus capacity, while light rail seats depend on the time of day. "This reflects July figures before the gas prices really went up," said Mendoza. "Even if gas prices go down, they'll appreciate For details on rideshare programs, call 214-747-RIDE or visit www.dart.org/riding.asp?zeon=rideshare

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Houston Rail Expansion	smontgomery	Transportation + Infrastructure	187	01-27-2010 02:56 PM
DART Green Line Construction Progress	RobertB	Rail + Guided Transit	968	09-14-2009 12:25 PM
Dallas, the brand	gc	City Issues + News	279	11-03-2008 07:20 PM
DART may head west, east	RobertB	Rail + Guided Transit	17	10-28-2006 01:07 PM
Short-changing North Dallas	mikedsjr	City Issues + News	52	11-14-2004 10:20 PM