Type Light rail Opened December 6, 2010 Operator(s) DART Stations 29 | System DART Light Rail Owner DART Track length 59,546 m | |
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Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Terminis Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Station (west), Parker Road (north) | ||
The Orange Line (labeled as the Purple Line on maps prior to 2006) is a 37-mile long light rail line operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Dallas, Irving, Richardson and Plano, Texas.
Contents
- Map of Orange Line Texas USA
- Route
- Planning and construction
- Opening and operation
- Daily service
- Special event service
- FutureDeferred
- References
Map of Orange Line, Texas, USA
Route
The line's current northwestern terminus is DFW Airport Station, located inside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The line proceeds southeast through Irving, providing service to the Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas, and the University of Dallas, before merging with the Green Line north of Bachman Station. The Orange Line shares the rest of its route with existing light rail lines, with stops along the Green Line from Bachman to Victory Station, through downtown Dallas on a corridor shared with the Green Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, and then northward along the Red Line corridor into Richardson and Plano.
Planned future Orange Line stations include a DFW North Station loop and an eastern extension down Scyene Road to Masters Drive (previously planned as a Green Line expansion).
Planning and construction
The Orange Line was planned as an extension to the DART Light Rail system at least as early as 2006, when DART's 2030 System Plan described a "Northwest Corridor" route with expected revenue service to both Love Field and DFW Airport by 2013.
On March 12, 2007, the City of Dallas officials and DART made an agreement to make Love Field Station a surface-level facility, concluding a long debate over whether or not to make it an underground station.
On December 5, 2007, the Dallas Morning News ran a story reporting that DART President Gary Thomas stated that a previous cost estimate of $988 million was too low. A new cost estimate for the 14 mile project was $1.8 – $1.9 billion. The $900 million overrun in costs has caused considerable outrage amongst political leaders in Irving, Texas, where the line passes on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Irving leaders subsequently made inquiry as to the cost overruns. Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also making inquiry into the project's substantial cost overruns.
In February 2010 DART officials warned that the first two phases of the Orange Line may be delayed due to TXDOT problems along State Highway 114, which the Orange Line route follows. Utility relocation and road construction was expected to delay access to portions of the construction area where the rail line and highway intersect. DART estimated that the delay could push the opening of the Las Colinas extension from December 2011 to August 2012; however, DART also advised that it was determined to keep the original schedule and minimize any delays.
In June 2010, DART placed new Orange Line construction on indefinite hold due to declining revenue. However, on September 15, 2010, the agency said that due to cost savings and federal funds, the plans for the line have been revived.
On December 13, 2011, DART awarded a contract to design and build the Orange Line extension from Belt Line Road to DFW Airport, valued at about $150 million, with construction to start in early 2012 and an opening date of August 18, 2014, ahead of schedule.
Opening and operation
The Orange Line started operation on December 6, 2010, with weekday peak service from the Parker Road Station to Bachman Station on stations shared with DART's Red and Green lines. The first Orange Line-exclusive stations opened with the extension to Irving Convention Center on July 30, 2012, and two more were added on December 3, 2012. The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014.