The starter line was completed when the Blue Line was extended from Illinois Station to Ledbetter Drive. The northern terminus of the Blue Line remained Pearl Station at that time. It includes the tunnel from Pearl Street to Mockingbird Lane, the latter being the site of Dallas's first modern transit village. The next stage of the starter line opened on Januwhen the Red Line was extended from Pearl Station to Park Lane Station. The 20 miles (32 km) starter system opened on June 14, 1996, comprising the Red Line from the Westmoreland Road in West Oak Cliff through downtown Dallas to Pearl Street, and the Blue Line from Pearl Street to Morrell Station and Illinois Avenue. The suburbs' confidence in DART was also expressed at the ballot box: four cities held highly publicized pullout elections in 1996 (with the financial assistance of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who wanted DART's half-cent sales tax revenue for Texas Stadium in Irving, the Cowboys' home at the time ), but all four voted to remain in DART (three of them by margins of more than two-to-one). To the surprise of critics, the new light rail system was embraced by Dallasites, with ridership exceeding expectations. Commuter rail service to Irving began in December, after some delays. In June 1996, the light rail system began service on time and on budget inaugurating the first light rail system in Texas. The first sections of track were laid in July 1993. Starter system Īfter years of scandals involving finances, delays in construction of the rail system, a failed bond election, and nine pull-out votes (two of which were successful), October 1990 was a turning point for the agency, when DART first broke ground on its light rail system.

A DART Blue Line train enters Pearl/Arts District station. After that vote, the agency again pared down the regional rail system to 84 miles (135.2 km). The plan was pared down again to 93 miles (149.7 km) after a bond vote. DART chose light rail transit as its primary mode of rail transportation. The election plan was pared down to 147 miles (236.6 km) when Duncanville, Grand Prairie and Mesquite, which would have had rail lines, opted out of joining the agency. ( January 2019)ĭART's initial plans called for 160 miles (257.5 km) of commuter rail. Orange Line (opened in 2010, completed in its current state in 2021).Green Line (opened in 2009, completed in its current state in 2010).Red Line (opened in 1996, completed in its current state in 2002).Blue Line (opened in 1996, completed in its current state in 2016).

The system uses the Kinki Sharyo SLRV ('Super Light Rail Vehicle') and the fleet of 163 vehicles was modified in the 2000s to add level boarding and higher passenger capacity. That makes it the 6th highest ridership of light rail systems in the United States however, it was one of the worst financial performers. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 18,251,700, or about 66,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023. The DART Light Rail system opened Jand serves 65 stations and four lines, covering 93 miles (149.7 km): the Red Line, the Blue Line, the Green Line, and the Orange Line. DART Light Rail is the light rail system serving the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas and is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).

Blue line train schedule dart