A visit to Dallas and the Denton A-Train

Posted on July 27, 2010 by David Leazenby

mixed-use-dallas-downtown-300x215On the road (and rail) in Dallas today. Like Raleigh last week, the metropolitan area is quite large and relatively low dense. However, there is great promise here in the Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the effects on the built environment around the transit stations. Also, Robert Voelker mentions a few other notable projects in the Dallas area on his blog today. One area of our focus on this trip will be the A-Train line, which connects to Denton. By next year one will be able to commute from this suburban college town of over 100,000 people to jobs in Dallas by rail. The A-Train will parallel Interstate 35E and extend the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Green Line at Trinity Mills Station in Carrollton. It will be operated by the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA). The DCTA A-train passenger rail system will connect Denton County with the DART system and the rest of the North Texas region, creating an economic development mechanism for Denton County and the region as a whole. The A-train project, a central element of DCTA’s service plan includes phased construction of 21 miles of regional rail, five rail stations, an adjacent bicycle/pedestrian trail, and a regional rail operations and maintenance facility. The A-train project will be complete in the summer of 2011 when revenue service opens to downtown Denton. Tomorrow, I’ll be in Denton and hope to learn more about what this will mean for this booming community.

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