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Re: TexRail

Posted: 01 Jan 2019 12:18
by Matt777
tamtagon wrote:I still don't understand why Collyville rejected a station.


Because in their warped minds, they equate public transportation with poor people and criminals. They're the kind of people who rent a car when to go to Manhattan, and drive it so they can go see Times Square.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 00:56
by electricron
tamtagon wrote:I still don't understand why Collyville rejected a station.

Collyville did not wish to pay for a train station.
Where in Collyville would you place it? There was not, is not, will never be a great place for a train station in Collyville! Few streets cross the tracks where potential riders could get to the train station from both sides of the track, and the few that do are residential and would become full of potholes with any increase in traffic.
Watch some YouTube videos by Geoff Marshall under Least Used Stations,; even in England where just about everybody rides trains, there are stations placed in lousy locations which get very few riders. I suggest any station in Collyville would probably make Geoff’s least used station criteria.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:46
by tamtagon
John McCain Road @ Colleyville Road? If the community favored the large scale mixed use development, that would be a great eventual location for the next big variation of the corporate processing/training/tech consolidation along the lines of State Farm/Deloitte/Schwab.... tailored to the multinational corporation using the airport. Wasn't meant to be, clearly.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:47
by electricron
tamtagon wrote:John McCain Road @ Colleyville Road? If the community favored the large scale mixed use development, that would be a great eventual location for the next big variation of the corporate processing/training/tech consolidation along the lines of State Farm/Deloitte/Schwab.... tailored to the multinational corporation using the airport. Wasn't meant to be, clearly.

By far the best location, but still a terrible place for a train station. While Collyville Road is capable enough to handle the traffic required, its’ parallel layout to the tracks sort of cuts off pedestrian traffic from the east. Of course the bike path/pedestrian trail paralleling the tracks is very helpful for pedestrians from the north and south, McCain Road isn’t capable to handle much more traffic as is, and nobody living near it wants ro see it expanded - much like Mockingbird Lane in Highland Park. So access to this location is terrible from the west as well.

Again, as I repeat, check out Geoff Marshall’s “Least Used Stations” YouTube videos. The best location available is not always the best place to place a train station.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:02
by TNWE
electricron wrote:
tamtagon wrote:I still don't understand why Collyville rejected a station.

Collyville did not wish to pay for a train station.


Bingo- Colleyville doesn't have a huge number of residents who work in Downtown FW or at the airport, and the ones that do wish to take transit to DTFW are probably already driving to a TRE station and will probably start driving to Smithfield.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:11
by TNWE
Matt777 wrote:
tamtagon wrote:I still don't understand why Collyville rejected a station.


Because in their warped minds, they equate public transportation with poor people and criminals. They're the kind of people who rent a car when to go to Manhattan, and drive it so they can go see Times Square.


I hear that attitude from an awful lot of Dallasites who live in Uptown/Downtown - I guess that makes the entire City of Dallas frightened of poor people too, huh?

Re: TexRail

Posted: 02 Jan 2019 17:40
by itsjrd1964
Not unlike the Knox-Henderson station that didn't happen because it was unwanted (until after the dust settled and the light rail proved popular), and the same with Corinth along the DCTA A-Train. Oh well, more transit and trains for the rest of us....

Re: TexRail

Posted: 03 Jan 2019 22:27
by electricron
itsjrd1964 wrote:Not unlike the Knox-Henderson station that didn't happen because it was unwanted (until after the dust settled and the light rail proved popular), and the same with Corinth along the DCTA A-Train. Oh well, more transit and trains for the rest of us....

Whether the citizens of Corinth wanted a train station or not, which by the way was not located for their ease of use but for the ease of use for community college students, their city government certainly did not have the ability to pay for it.
Populations of
Denton = 136,268
Lewisville = 106,021
Highland Village = 16,587
Corinth = 21,152
Some could argue Highland Village is not large enough as well. But the median home value in Highland Village is $378,200, in Corinth it is $269,800. Maybe Highland Village taxpayers are richer than in Corinth?

Let's do some simple math, assuming NCTCOG's estimation to build a train station would cost between $3 million and $10 million .
(Note: to keep the math simple lets use 20,000 vs 21,152 for Corinth's population)
$3,000,000 / 20,000 citizens = $150 / citizen
$10,000,000 / 20,000 citizens = $500 / citizen

Let's compare that to Denton and Lewisville....
Denton = $3,000,000 / 135,000 = $22 / citizen
Denton = $10,000,000 / 135,000 = $74 / citizen
Lewisville = $3,000,000 / 105,000 = $28 / citizen
Lewisville = $10,000,000 / 105,000 = $95 / citizen

We need to keep in mind what smaller cities and towns can afford to do or not. Expecting smaller cities to afford the same things that larger cities can afford is very unrealistic and unfair.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 04 Jan 2019 19:38
by Redblock
FLASSH.....FLASH......FLASH

TEXRail will NOT operate ANY service on Saturday, January 5.

https://twitter.com/TrinityMetro/status ... 1272208384

Re: TexRail

Posted: 04 Jan 2019 21:37
by joshua.dodd

Re: TexRail

Posted: 04 Jan 2019 22:08
by itsjrd1964

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jan 2019 18:55
by itsjrd1964
Some are questioning what the real reason is for the TexRail delay.

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/traf ... 18410.html

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jan 2019 18:58
by itsjrd1964
Waiting on a train? TEXRail’s on-again, off-again opening set for Thursday

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/traf ... 39975.html

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jan 2019 15:34
by grez_ua
Used that yesterday to get all the way from dallas downtown to fw downtown (via orange line).
Quite surprised how many people went to experience new train - there were no places to sit.
Didn't found any walkways between airport terminals, it seems only way to get between terminals is using airport bus, which adds complications to this process.
Some patches of texrail is a single rail line, so train has to stop and wait for opposite train. We got waiting for >15 mins.
Train had few small issues, like one door was not working; somebody broke restroom door.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jan 2019 17:27
by Matt777
grez_ua wrote:Used that yesterday to get all the way from dallas downtown to fw downtown (via orange line).
Quite surprised how many people went to experience new train - there were no places to sit.
Didn't found any walkways between airport terminals, it seems only way to get between terminals is using airport bus, which adds complications to this process.
Some patches of texrail is a single rail line, so train has to stop and wait for opposite train. We got waiting for >15 mins.
Train had few small issues, like one door was not working; somebody broke restroom door.


Thanks for the report! Isn't there a walkway between the TexRail station at Terminal B and the DART station at Terminal A? Google maps seems to show that a covered walkway was built towards it before the TexRail station even started construction.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jan 2019 18:18
by Hannibal Lecter
There are airside bridges between all terminals except E.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jan 2019 19:01
by Matt777
Hannibal Lecter wrote:There are airside bridges between all terminals except E.


What about landside between the two rail stations? I guess my question is how easy is it to transfer between the two rail lines if needed. I know that would be rare. If someone wanted to go from Las Colinas to DTFW by rail, how easy is it to get from the DART DFW station to the TexRail station?

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jan 2019 19:06
by itsjrd1964
There is a walkway between the DART light rail and the TexRail area at DFW. It is adjacent to the Crossunder that is just north of the 2 stations. The first pic is on the DART side, with the DART area on the left, and the walkway under the bridge and leading off to the right of the pic. The other pic is just the opposite, with the TexRail area (sorry, haven't been out there to take a personal pic since it got done, it's fudged from Google Street View) to the right and the walkway off to the left.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 14 Jan 2019 11:08
by TNWE
itsjrd1964 wrote:There is a walkway between the DART light rail and the TexRail area at DFW. It is adjacent to the Crossunder that is just north of the 2 stations. The first pic is on the DART side, with the DART area on the left, and the walkway under the bridge and leading off to the right of the pic. The other pic is just the opposite, with the TexRail area (sorry, haven't been out there to take a personal pic since it got done, it's fudged from Google Street View) to the right and the walkway off to the left.


Its probably a 5 min walk, 10-15 if someone has bags or reduced mobility. Since Texrail runs every hour, and DART every 15-20 minutes, the connecting times aren't perfect (some Orange Line trains pull in like a minute before Texrail is scheduled to leave) so you'd have to catch an earlier Orange Line train or be stuck waiting nearly an hour. This issue may go away once Texrail adds more service and headways drop to 30 mins at peak times.

Also, on the topic of connecting from one system to the other - it seems like most potential users would be put off by having to pay the regional fare to go from say, Grapevine to Irving CC. It would be nice if DART/Trinity Metro got together to offer some sort of "Mid Cities" pass that's the same price as a local fare, but not valid for travel in/through Dallas or Fort Worth. As it is, the fare zone split discourages shorter trips for people who live/work close to the fare zone boundary. If I live in Irving and work in DT Grapevine or at Bell Helicopter (for example), it makes more sense to just drive (adding another single occupant vehicle to 183/114) because they're paying double what their coworker from DTFW pays for a much longer trip.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 14 Jan 2019 13:12
by Tucy
grez_ua wrote:Used that yesterday to get all the way from dallas downtown to fw downtown (via orange line).
Quite surprised how many people went to experience new train - there were no places to sit.
Didn't found any walkways between airport terminals, it seems only way to get between terminals is using airport bus, which adds complications to this process.
Some patches of texrail is a single rail line, so train has to stop and wait for opposite train. We got waiting for >15 mins.
Train had few small issues, like one door was not working; somebody broke restroom door.


what was your total trip time from downtown Dallas to downtown Fort Worth?

Re: TexRail

Posted: 14 Jan 2019 13:39
by muncien
As it is, the fare zone split discourages shorter trips for people who live/work close to the fare zone boundary. If I live in Irving and work in DT Grapevine or at Bell Helicopter (for example), it makes more sense to just drive (adding another single occupant vehicle to 183/114) because they're paying double what their coworker from DTFW pays for a much longer trip.


The same could be said for DART itself... It's fare structure essentially benefits long distance commuters the most, while penalizing the short haul. For example, commuting from cityline to Victory Park would cost the same as commuting from Pearl Arts station to Victory Park. As such, you end up discouraging the urban users to a point. Perhaps the new upcoming tap system will allow more flexibility in the manner. You would think a well developed transit app would also be able to assess your route and charge accordingly (across both DART service area and the region). That way, you wouldn't have to create a fully access controlled system to initiate such a pay structure.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 14 Jan 2019 15:57
by TNWE
muncien wrote:The same could be said for DART itself... It's fare structure essentially benefits long distance commuters the most, while penalizing the short haul. For example, commuting from cityline to Victory Park would cost the same as commuting from Pearl Arts station to Victory Park. As such, you end up discouraging the urban users to a point. Perhaps the new upcoming tap system will allow more flexibility in the manner. You would think a well developed transit app would also be able to assess your route and charge accordingly (across both DART service area and the region). That way, you wouldn't have to create a fully access controlled system to initiate such a pay structure.


The tap card and new DART fare structure has reduced the distance disparity a lot, I think.
Office workers commuting from Plano/Carrolton to downtown have to buy a $3 AM pass and a $3 PM pass, and being office workers, they're probably not taking midday trips so they're effectively paying $3 a ride. An urban resident, on the other hand, could get several trips out of a midday or PM pass, so the cost per ride is much lower. Plus, once you've bought a PM pass it's good for up to 12 hours so there's less of a barrier to using transit for other trips later that same day.

Before, you either had to buy a day pass in advance, or race to see how many stops you could make in a 2 hour period (I'll admit to taking longer, more circuitous bus routings to get home because as long as I got on a bus headed downtown with time left on my ticket, I could ride for another 30-60 minutes and not have to worry about fare enforcement like on the trains). Now you can go from work to HH to dinner to the store and back home all for $3 (assuming all those places are accessible by bus or train).

Re: TexRail

Posted: 15 Jan 2019 17:04
by grez_ua
The first pic is on the DART side, with the DART area on the left, and the walkway under the bridge and leading off to the right of the pic.

I see it now on street view. The problem is there were no any clear signs or markings were to go to get to the other station. Hopefully they would fix it soon.
what was your total trip time from downtown Dallas to downtown Fort Worth?

With a bus in airport it took smth like 2.5 hours one way.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 01:52
by itsjrd1964
Well, I took the plunge yesterday. It was a little chilly but I thought it would be a good day for a TexRail sample. I went by way of the DART Orange line. By the time I made it to the TexRail platform, a train had been there, but was pulling off. So I ended up with an hour to blow off, so that gave me time to get some pics. Construction workers were still doing non-rail finishing touches, like caulking along the base of outer walls and along sidewalk seams; there were other things like landscaping and utility/lighting/etc still not finished yet.

At the stations, from what I could see of them (because by Grapevine (towards Fort Worth) and the 2 downtown Fort Worth stations (towards DFW), the train was packed), the basic infrastructure was there (canopies, benches, trash cans, emergency call stands), but not much that looked like signage or guides of any kind. The structures at each looked similar, as opposed to DART doing individual designs/themes at each light rail station. The only rail-oriented development I could see currently going on was at the DFW North station (construction equipment messing with the land immediately to the south of the current station parking lot, but nothing yet to start preparing for the Cotton Belt line connection there, and nothing else that looks like additional infrastructure) and at Grapevine station (the new mixed-use station/hotel/parking garage/clocktower coming along). The North Richland Hills and Fort Worth (north of downtown) stations really have no other TOD activity at the moment. This gives riders only Grapevine and the 2 downtown Fort Worth stations with anything nearby for grabbing a bite/drink, or visiting any spots, so far. Bathrooms (besides on the train) are available at DFW Terminal A & B, and the T&P and ITC downtown Fort Worth stations; nothing by the platforms of the other stations. I didn't see any close convenience stores by any station.

Railfans will get much to see along the TexRail, with Grapevine Vintage Railway cars sitting on a siding adjacent to the Grapevine station, as well as rail freight car action in Fort Worth from the area of the Mercantile station, past I-35W where lines of Union Pacific and BNSF come along for parallel track paths all the rest of the way into downtown. Between the ITC and the T&P stations, the busy "Tower 55" railroad intersection underneath the I-30/I-35W interchange can be seen, but the TexRail and TRE cars use tracks that curve around beside--not on--either of the lines that cross there.

Some things I noticed:
* no signs at DFW TexRail station to or from DART Orange station, except for a few along the walkway that connects the stations along Crossunder #2, which are small ones attached to the canopy over the walkway, pointing toward the DART orange station (very likely those were there before any work or completion of the TexRail infrastructure)
* no signs at Terminal A and before the DART orange station, other than for DART, nothing referencing TexRail at all
* no signs at Terminal B and before the TexRail station, other than a very few for TexRail, nothing referencing DART at all
* no timetables posted on DFW TexRail station platform nor showing on LED sign; currently the only places that supplied that info were in timetable booklets on the trains, or on the website
* only basic platform signage so far at DFW TexRail station, nothing specific about looking for other info about TexRail, Trinity Metro, or DART online
* clock wrong on 1 LED sign on platform at the ITC station in Fort Worth (it said AM, instead of PM)--surely that'll get fixed soon
* the few signs there are at the terminals (A and B), do not reference the ability to walk between the stations--only to take the airport shuttle to the "train to Dallas"
(if you are at Terminal B) or "train to Fort Worth" (if you are in certain spots at Terminal A)
* the ticket machines in the short tunnel under the southbound service road between the TexRail platform and the area of Terminal B were there, but not fully installed and working yet
* the speaker announcements on the train have a stern-toned British male voice to stay clear of the door when it shuts, all others are a female voice that's not quite the same as the female voices for DART's light rail and DART's buses
* there are 2 waits for oncoming TexRail trains, one between Grapevine and the North Richland Hills-Smithfield station, and one just south of the Northside station in Fort Worth
* when the TexRail cars pull up to the DFW station, they are only using one track, the one alongside the west-side platform; this may change after paid service begins

Overall, I liked the ride. It was very comfortable and smooth. If you go anytime the rest of the month, you could end up squeezed or standing, since it's still free till
the first of February.

Trinity Metro will definitely need to up the frequency of the TexRail trains. Waiting an hour at any station could be a downer for some. Eventually, something will need to be done to double-track the whole of TexRail (and the TRE also, for that matter), even though not every part of the line is wide enough or ready for that. Hopefully, any needed or remaining guide signage will be added for the TexRail platforms (and the nearby vicinity of each), so there will be less chance of confusion among riders, especially new ones.

(In the next couple of posts, I will post the pictures I was able to take... I wasn't able to attach them with this post.)

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 02:48
by itsjrd1964
This is looking east along the connecting walkway between the DART station (in the distance) and the TexRail station (behind the camera)
20190121_105658.jpg


Looking toward Terminal B and the TexRail station, between the connecting walkway and the station.
20190121_105704.jpg


Just after the curve, the first look at the TexRail station in the distance, with the rails along the right of the sidewalk.
20190121_105719.jpg


Approaching the platform. The main part of each platform where you can access the train's entrance doors is raised, while on each end, it is lower for crossing the tracks to either platform. The train I missed is on the west-side track; it's blocking the crossing spot between the 2 parts of dark metal fence, because it is pulling off.
20190121_105812.jpg


Looking north, at the point where you can cross the tracks. The train is on its way to Fort Worth. There is no signage at this point to tell you that the sidewalk along the embankment wall will lead you around to the DART station and to Terminal A.
20190121_105847.jpg


On the east-side platform, with one of several sets of seats (similar to the seats over at the DART station) and labeling signage above them. The west-side ones are identical. On some of them, including this one, is the strange "Red Line to Fort Worth" label. There hasn't been anything regarding multiple TexRail routes revealed by Trinity Metro before, much less a color-coding of them. Not only that, there is already a DART Red line route by rail, so if this is permanent, and if there are any other TexRail/Trinity Metro lines planned, this labeling could be confusing or possibly throw some riders off.
20190121_105936.jpg


Looking further south along the east-side platform, with a digital message board mounted about halfway along. The displays weren't much help yet, just current time, no "next train in __ (minutes)" like with DART.
20190121_110002.jpg


The only other kind of platform signage, so far. It points north to all terminals, without really being specific that only the A & B terminals are walkable from the station, the rest require a ride on the airport terminal shuttle.
20190121_110048.jpg


The south end of the platform, and the last of the rail line. There is no access at this end of either platform to the terminals, only from the north end.
20190121_110133.jpg


Looking back north from the south end of the platform.
20190121_110148.jpg


(More in the next post.)

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 03:33
by itsjrd1964
Near the north end of the platform, this possibly-temporary sign is attached to the separating metal fence between the 2 tracks. If this "Westbound to Fort Worth" sign is not permanent, it will be interesting to see what gets placed instead, especially with the need for more guide signage in/around the station.
20190121_110443.jpg


Looking to the west-side platform at the north crossing point, and the opening underneath the southbound service road to take the walkway over to Terminal B. That's all the other signage you get, nothing more specific. It seems they only want you to think you can get to all terminals solely by going toward Terminal B, when there is a sidewalk to Terminal A in the other direction (beside then behind the camera).
20190121_110513.jpg


As you begin to go into the brief underpass, the ticket machines are just around the corner, where they will be placed; they just aren't set up and ready yet. Terminal B can begin to be seen in the distance.
20190121_110551.jpg


Further down the sidewalk to Terminal B.
20190121_110622.jpg


At the end of the sidewalk is this small sign before you get to the terminal. Among other things, it tells you that the Terminal Link (the shuttle bus to each of the terminals) is available to take you to Terminals A, C, D, and E, and the "Rail to Dallas". Further proof that the "only way" to Terminal A and the DART station is away from them--the long way.
20190121_110731.jpg


Turning back to go back down the sidewalk to the TexRail station, and at the Terminal end, is this sign (this one looks even more temporary, and sorry the picture isn't completely clear), with "Rail to Fort Worth" on it.
20190121_110801.jpg


Back at the platform, on the west side, looking north. This is as far north as you can walk on the west side.
20190121_110932.jpg


After a few minutes, the next train had pulled up, again on the west-side track just as the previous one did.
20190121_114227.jpg


The other digital display, on the west-side platform, and just like the other one, this one is not exactly a helpful fount of information. Hopefully that will improve.
20190121_114256.jpg


When the doors into the train are shut, you have to press this white button with the arrows and green LED circle, in order for the door to open. All the train entryways are level with the platform, no immediate steps to take like with many of the entryways into DART's light rail trains.
20190121_114324.jpg


(The last few pics on the next post.)

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 04:23
by itsjrd1964
One more look north on the west-side platform before boarding the train.
20190121_114332.jpg


There were already a few riders, I guess they'd gotten on at one of the other stations, as only one other person got on at DFW besides me. It wasn't packed--yet. I didn't get a good look around the train car before it eventually got full later on. Above most of the seats are not-very-deep shelf racks for luggage/packages, and every so often, there are little hooks underneath the shelf racks to hang coats/purses/etc.
20190121_114451.jpg


At the back of each seat is a fold-down tray, almost like an airplane seat. At most (maybe every? I didn't get to fully look) seats, on the wall, is a spot with 2 USB ports. DART needs this very much with their buses and trains.
20190121_114615.jpg


I would have liked to have gotten more in-train pictures and some at the stations along the way, but with the trains only running every hour, it would have taken too long. Things weren't too tight leaving DFW or going to/through the DFW North station. But at the Grapevine station, the folks just packed on. No wiggle room at all. I wasn't able to get good pictures out the window of anything during the trip.

At the T&P station in Fort Worth, I switched seats to one facing the other way. With the crowd that came over, I knew I'd better be quick or I wouldn't get a seat going back. In the indented wall behind those last seats on the right, is one of the bathrooms. I didn't try it to see what it looked like, and I didn't want to lose my seat. I heard at least 4 people talking about how tough it was to get the door unlocked and opened, so I guess it was just as well I didn't have to use the bathroom then. Also on the trains, every so often down the aisle, are dual monitors. The one on the left displays the current station and the next 2 ahead, with a dotted line below all that then the last station on the line (DFW); while the one on the right is promotional info videos about TexRail and Trinity Metro's service.
20190121_132607.jpg


Sure enough, at the ITC station, a bunch of folks got on, but it wasn't quite as packed as the bunch that got on in Grapevine. A father and his young son came along, and the father asked if the young son could sit next to me, I said sure. I was amused when the father told the son that they'd be going by the Bell Helicopter plant on the way. Little did he know he was confusing the route of TexRail with the route of the TRE. Which may be somewhat understandable if you start out from Fort Worth, as the TexRail and TRE trains share the same tracks from the T&P station, past the ITC station, and through the building and around the curve to go under Spur 280. After you go under Spur 280, the 2 routes split up, and the TexRail starts going more northerly for a while. By the time the train reached Grapevine, the bulk of the people got off, but more stayed on to DFW than the amount that had left DFW when I started. I got off to go over to the DART station, and fortunately I got over there just as the next Orange line train was about to leave.

Hopefully there will be more guide signage, which really was the only drawback I saw when it came to having a new transportation option that will attract not only locals, but travelers from outside the area, as well.

So, it was a nice day for an outing, albeit a somewhat chilly one. But I had fun. Now we have another choice to get over to Fort Worth from Dallas, and another way to DFW from outside the airport.

(Sorry this was so long, and for the multiple parts, but I couldn't post all the pics on one post, and I like to be helpful when I can (I guess that comes from years in the hotel biz, and from being raised that way).)

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 06:42
by tamtagon
Thanks for the thorough trip log!!!

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 09:44
by muncien
Thanks jrd. Good stuff!

It is funny about about the station to terminal signage. I swear, when I talk to some folks about the DFW DART stop, they talk like it's a mile walk to the terminal, and not possible. It seems that anybody who us used to transit ridership has no issue with short walk to either terminal, but anybody who is car dependent just can't fathom it. It sounds like the signage plan was created by someone in the later group. haha

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 10:38
by TNWE
muncien wrote:Thanks jrd. Good stuff!

It is funny about about the station to terminal signage. I swear, when I talk to some folks about the DFW DART stop, they talk like it's a mile walk to the terminal, and not possible. It seems that anybody who us used to transit ridership has no issue with short walk to either terminal, but anybody who is car dependent just can't fathom it. It sounds like the signage plan was created by someone in the later group. haha


Heck, Atlanta makes your walk three times that distance to get to the Uber/Lyft pickup point.
They definitely need to add some more signage to say "Terminal A/DART Rail This Way" and the reverse at the DART station. Google transit doesn't even show the option of a DART <--> TexRail connection. Search for transit directions from Belt Line to Grapevine main street and it will tell you to do one of the following:
-hop on one of the 5XX buses toward the Marriott DFW hotel, then take the Grapevine visitor shuttle (Travel time approx. 1 hour)
-Take the Orange Line SOUTH towards Victory Station, then the TRE to Fort Worth, then Texrail to Grapevine (travel time approx. 3 hours)
-Take the Orange Line north to DFW A (maybe they've figure it out...), then Get on Terminal Link to the DFW Hyatt Regency and take a different Grapevine visitors shuttle (D'OH!)

Does anyone know how to contact Google and let them know that it's possible to walk from one to the other? Is it an issue with their basemap not recognizing that there's a sidewalk there? Also, DFW Airport has a really savvy social media team- surely they could do an Instagram story about how to get from Terminal A to DART to Texrail(future cotton belt) to Terminal B all in like, 15 minutes, maybe 20 if you've got a lot of luggage.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 13:37
by Redblock
Great report, itsjrd1964. I took a similar trip on Monday the 14th. There are also no TEXRail signs at the T&P Station in Fort Worth and only a screen mentioning TEXRail at the ITC station.

I emailed Trinity Metro about these problems and they said they are working on their station signage and working with DFW about the signage at Terminal A and B.

The email for the woman overseeing signage is:

Linda.Thornton@RideTM.org

I suggest that you (and other forum members) let her know about any signage needs.

I think the Red Line to Ft. Worth sign is a result of the airport being in charge of both rail stations. Since the TEXRail trains have a red stripe the airport sign committee decided to call it the Red Line to Ft. Worth. When the Cotton Belt Line opens they will call it the Yellow Line to Plano since DART plans to paint them white and yellow like their light rail trains.

Regarding the Cotton Belt Line, the sub-base for a second track between Terminal B Station and DFW North Station has been laid down and the bridge over 114/121 is a double track bridge.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 24 Jan 2019 22:57
by itsjrd1964
How to take Fort Worth’s new TEXRail commuter line to Dallas Love Field Airport

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/traf ... 54745.html

Re: TexRail

Posted: 25 Jan 2019 10:08
by TNWE
Redblock wrote:Great report, itsjrd1964. I took a similar trip on Monday the 14th. There are also no TEXRail signs at the T&P Station in Fort Worth and only a screen mentioning TEXRail at the ITC station.

I emailed Trinity Metro about these problems and they said they are working on their station signage and working with DFW about the signage at Terminal A and B.

The email for the woman overseeing signage is:

Linda.Thornton@RideTM.org

I suggest that you (and other forum members) let her know about any signage needs.

I think the Red Line to Ft. Worth sign is a result of the airport being in charge of both rail stations. Since the TEXRail trains have a red stripe the airport sign committee decided to call it the Red Line to Ft. Worth. When the Cotton Belt Line opens they will call it the Yellow Line to Plano since DART plans to paint them white and yellow like their light rail trains.

Regarding the Cotton Belt Line, the sub-base for a second track between Terminal B Station and DFW North Station has been laid down and the bridge over 114/121 is a double track bridge.


There was a temporary banner at ITC earlier this week indicating the raised area where passengers board TexRail. Due to the different heights of the TRE and Texrail cars, they have to use different areas of the platform at ITC and T&P, which probably caused some confusion. It also seems that they're using the same platform for east and westbound trains at each station, but where there are two platforms, I've seen some people confused about where to wait. Once the frequency increases and there are more trains meeting at stations, they'll put up more permanent "Eastbound/Westbound" signage, but TexRail will continue to board at the south end of ITC Platform 1 as that's the only area built up to level-boarding height. TRE can use Platform 1 or 2 depending on the time of day.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 08 Feb 2019 11:52
by itsjrd1964
Why Fort Worth (probably) can’t have a TEXRail system as large as Dallas’ DART trains

Trinity Metro is now looking into the possibility of extending the TexRail service over to the Medical District and down to a spot near Berry St. and TCU.

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/traf ... 40900.html

Re: TexRail

Posted: 09 Feb 2019 17:24
by joshua.dodd
^ In retrospect, that's actually a good thing. DART's disadvantage is its size. The DART system is far too big for a light rail system. Not to mention, DART has far too many stops along the line that causes for extended waiting periods and longer, more inconvenient rides. Based on my experience with the DCTA A-train, which has always been great, I would say this is a good thing for Tex Rail. The city of Fort Worth should consider another mode of rail transit exclusively for the city itself. Maybe a streetcar system that's well integrated into the bus and Tex Rail system. I really think Fort Worth has the potential to outshine Dallas in terms of mass transit if they take the right steps.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 06 Jun 2019 19:38
by Tucy
Tucy wrote:
electricron wrote:TexRail to receive $499 million from the FTA Full Funding Agreement over several years.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/traff ... 99198.html


Make note of this quote for future reference (because it will probably go down the memory hole):

The trains are expected to operate about every half-hour during peak periods — 44 trains per day — and carry about 9,000 daily passengers by the end of its first year, and 14,000 by 2035.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/traff ... rylink=cpy


Remember the TexRail projection of 9,000 daily passengers by the end of the first year? Of course, we're well short of the end of the first year, but they will have to have a dramatic turnaround to even come close to those not-very-ambitious numbers.

February 2019 ridership: 32,998
March 2019 ridership: 39,093
April 2019 ridership: 33,589

These numbers are total ridership for the entire month. So, they are running well under 1/4 of their projected ridership.

But it should be very roomy. It looks like they are averaging about 25 passengers per train. So each passenger can have about 10 (or is it 20?) seats.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 06 Jun 2019 22:05
by Matt777
Ridiculous. And the "Silver Line" or Cotton Belt will be even worse. To think.... that $1+ billion they're wasting on the Cotton belt white elephant could build around 50+ miles of modern streetcar network in urban areas of Dallas. Sigh.....

#CancelCottonBelt

Re: TexRail

Posted: 06 Jun 2019 22:32
by Hannibal Lecter
Because "modern" streetcars (there's any oxymoron for you) have been such a success in U.S. cities.

Have you noticed that Griggs never mentions the OC line he pushed so hard for? There's not a word about it on his campaign website. While campaigning on a platform of being anti-boondoggle he's desperately hoping everyone forgets about that one.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jun 2019 11:25
by cowboyeagle05
Its also not finished. The section the feds paid for which is still most of its route was meant as a starter section. Until it extended beyond its two current terminuses Bishop Arts and Union Station I don't see it getting any better. All Scott would have to do is point to the massive apartment and retail developments being finished up at the Bishop Arts stop. Then point out Central Market has also bought land. Now you can argue away why those units aren't there because of the Streetcar but it certainly looks like to the common person that mass transit attracts redevelopment.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jun 2019 12:28
by Matt777
Hannibal Lecter wrote:Because "modern" streetcars (there's any oxymoron for you) have been such a success in U.S. cities.

Have you noticed that Griggs never mentions the OC line he pushed so hard for? There's not a word about it on his campaign website. While campaigning on a platform of being anti-boondoggle he's desperately hoping everyone forgets about that one.


The modern street car OC line is small and not enough. Our system is not used because it is not useful. It doesn't mean we shouldn't have one. 50 miles of streetcar network around our urban inner city neighborhoods would provide great usefulness.

There's going to be a day soon where your fossil fuel suburban dreams are no longer viable. We need to be prepared for that.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jun 2019 13:20
by Hannibal Lecter
cowboyeagle05 wrote:Now you can argue away why those units aren't there because of the Streetcar but it certainly looks like to the common person that mass transit attracts redevelopment.


The empirical evidence actually indicates the opposite. Look at map of development downtown over the past 10 years -- there's an inverse relationship between LRT station proximity and development. The closer you are, the less development.

Looking at the regional level the dichotomy is even more obvious. Since DART's inception 93% of North Texas population growth has been outside of the DART service area. Both developers and the "common person" would appear to be actively avoiding mass transit.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 07 Jun 2019 14:23
by Tivo_Kenevil
Hannibal Lecter wrote:Looking at the regional level the dichotomy is even more obvious. Since DART's inception 93% of North Texas population growth has been outside of the DART service area. Both developers and the "common person" would appear to be actively avoiding mass transit.


Your logic is flawed

I could easily say the following:

"Looking at the regional level the dichotomy is even more obvious. Since DART's inception 99.9% of North Texas population growth has been outside of the Frisco city limits. Both developers and the "common person" would appear to be actively avoiding Frisco."

Do you not see how illogical that sounds? You're not considering numerous factors....

one of them being geography..You're forgetting that DART covers a geographic area of 700 sq. Miles.

So basically, you're saying that DFW, which is approximately 9,286 sq miles, has had more growth outside the DART service area....

Well Duh, DART only cover a small portion of DFW. What you're stating is not a matter of transit. That's a matter of geography..

There's multiple factors that determine where people live...cost, work, schools etc. To say that no-transit is "THE" reason why one part of a metropolitan area has seen more (Numeric) growth than areas with transit is poor analysis...

Re: TexRail

Posted: 13 Jul 2019 11:22
by saxman
Tivo_Kenevil wrote:
Hannibal Lecter wrote:Looking at the regional level the dichotomy is even more obvious. Since DART's inception 93% of North Texas population growth has been outside of the DART service area. Both developers and the "common person" would appear to be actively avoiding mass transit.


Your logic is flawed

I could easily say the following:

"Looking at the regional level the dichotomy is even more obvious. Since DART's inception 99.9% of North Texas population growth has been outside of the Frisco city limits. Both developers and the "common person" would appear to be actively avoiding Frisco."

Do you not see how illogical that sounds? You're not considering numerous factors....

one of them being geography..You're forgetting that DART covers a geographic area of 700 sq. Miles.

So basically, you're saying that DFW, which is approximately 9,286 sq miles, has had more growth outside the DART service area....

Well Duh, DART only cover a small portion of DFW. What you're stating is not a matter of transit. That's a matter of geography..

There's multiple factors that determine where people live...cost, work, schools etc. To say that no-transit is "THE" reason why one part of a metropolitan area has seen more (Numeric) growth than areas with transit is poor analysis...


It's also a matter of cost of living. Land on the outskirts is cheaper. So long as the city, county and state builds and widens the highway and adds the utility lines, this will continue.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 15 Jul 2019 10:45
by electricron
saxman wrote:It's also a matter of cost of living. Land on the outskirts is cheaper. So long as the city, county and state builds and widens the highway and adds the utility lines, this will continue.

Which it will. Other large metropolitan areas in the USA have geological obstacles for outward growth spreads, like large oceans, large lakes, and and mountain ranges. Even Houston has an obstacle growing east. The DFW area does not have them, it can spread out in every direction, let us repeat that once agin, in every direction . Few metros as large as DFW can state that in the entire world.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 15 Jul 2019 10:53
by electricron
Sorry, double post.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 24 Jul 2019 19:05
by Redblock
Texrail has announced their increased schedule to begin Sunday, July 28. A simplified description: 30 minute headway will leave Fort Worth T&P Station between 4:43 and 10:43 am and between 3:43 and 7:43 pm. Midday and after 7:43 pm will hourly headway.

The one-way schedule has been lengthened by 1 minute but there is far less dwell time at each end.

Here is the full new schedule.

https://ridetrinitymetro.org/texrail/schedules/

Re: TexRail

Posted: 25 Jul 2019 11:04
by TNWE
Redblock wrote:Texrail has announced their increased schedule to begin Sunday, July 28. A simplified description: 30 minute headway will leave Fort Worth T&P Station between 4:43 and 10:43 am and between 3:43 and 7:43 pm. Midday and after 7:43 pm will hourly headway.

The one-way schedule has been lengthened by 1 minute but there is far less dwell time at each end.

Here is the full new schedule.

https://ridetrinitymetro.org/texrail/schedules/


Good news for the FW side of the metroplex, but less helpful for anyone hoping to go Mid-cities <--> Las Colinas by changing at DFW, as all the added TexRail trains arrive a minute after an Orange Line trains leaves, so it's a 15 or 20 minute wait for the next DART train.

I know the ridership #s on Texrail were iffy once the free period ended, but the extra frequency should help make it a more practical commute option for airport workers, and less frustrating for arriving passengers who just missed a train if they only need to wait another 30 mins.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 25 Jul 2019 12:30
by Redblock
Just noticed TEXRail will have a bus bridge between Fort Worth Central Station (former ITC) and Fort Worth T&P Station in July 28 until 3 PM. Not the best timing, but at least it's not in the middle of the route.

TrinityMetroAlerts (@TrinityMetroAlt) Tweeted:
If you're traveling Sunday morning, we'll have a bus bridge between FW Central Station and FW T&P Station during TRE construction. The bus bridge will end at 3 p.m. Sunday. @CityofFortWorth @TrinityMetro https://t.co/VGx4olSyCD https://twitter.com/TrinityMetroAlt/sta ... 21219?s=17

Re: TexRail

Posted: 29 Jul 2019 08:36
by electricron
muncien wrote:The same could be said for DART itself... It's fare structure essentially benefits long distance commuters the most, while penalizing the short haul. For example, commuting from cityline to Victory Park would cost the same as commuting from Pearl Arts station to Victory Park. As such, you end up discouraging the urban users to a point. Perhaps the new upcoming tap system will allow more flexibility in the manner. You would think a well developed transit app would also be able to assess your route and charge accordingly (across both DART service area and the region). That way, you wouldn't have to create a fully access controlled system to initiate such a pay structure.

These type of tap cards require tapping on and off the trains. if you forget to tap on, you will run afoul of the fare inspectors. if you forget to tap off, you will be charged the maximum fare. If the tapping machines have been broken by vandals, everyone using those locations are either not paying at all or paying the maximum fare. Good luck.
Whereas I will agree a single day pass fare arrangement DART uses encourages longer trips - i do not agree it punishes shorter trips. It's a day pass, people can takes many more shorter trips than longer trips within a day. Will they?
Never-the-less, tap cards charge you the fare each and every time you use the bus and train.

Re: TexRail

Posted: 18 Sep 2019 00:51
by itsjrd1964
It took a *while*, but now the TexRail route has started appearing on printed maps as well as those on displays at train stations/transit centers. Some of the maps (not unlike for other routes) are more than a bit out-of-whack and not to scale.

20190918_004403.jpg


20190918_004424.jpg


This one is an inset of downtown Fort Worth.
20190918_004500.jpg


A printed version, on the back page of the latest DART rail timetable guide.
20190918_003931.jpg