24 replies to this topic

[Jeriat]

STATION and ROUTE MAP

 

Just throwing it out that I'd like to see TEXRail take the western half of the TRE's routes for two reasons: Sunday Service and adding a "new" line for TEXRail... and two (really three) potential lines in addition. 


 

[JBB]

What's the barrier to Sunday service at this point?  Is it really as simple as Fort Worth wants it and Dallas doesn't?  If splitting the line at Centerport means changing trains to get to Dallas, you're going to lose potential riders.  This isn't something that would bother me, but it could easily be an inconvenience to the casual, average rider.  Game train riders comes to mind immediately.  That's probably the only reason some of those people get on a train and the lack of a one seat ride may scare a lot of them away.

[rriojas71]

If Tex Rail ends at Centreport but Dallas doesn't offer service from Centreport to Downtown Dallas on Sundays then I don't see the point.  At least with Tex Rail to DFW on Sundays you can jump onto the DART orange line.  Like JBB says, it isn't as smooth of a commute if you have to disembark the train at Centreport and then wait for the train to Dallas to arrive and then have to buy another ticket for the final leg of the journey.  It just sounds a bit too cumbersome.

[Jeriat]

I was certain that service to Fort Worth stops at CentrePort all 7 days. 

If that's not the case, then I suggest CentrePort be that stop on Sundays. 

(And speaking of "game train riders", I would also think of an extension from CentrePort on the Dallas side down to Arlington between Riverside Golf Club and the Viridian lakes, following Ballpark Way... but even I'd think that might be too much of a hassle.)

[JBB]

TRE has only run on Sunday on either end for rare special events - the Fair, the NFL Experience during the Super Bowl, maybe some Stars and Mavs games at some point.

 

I guess I'm still having trouble what problem we're solving by splitting the line at Centreport.

 

Running a commuter line through a new right of way that's privately owned is going to be a very expensive hard sell.

[Jeriat]

TRE has only run on Sunday on either end for rare special events - the Fair, the NFL Experience during the Super Bowl, maybe some Stars and Mavs games at some point.

 

I guess I'm still having trouble what problem we're solving by splitting the line at Centreport.

 

It's not so much a "problem" as just a thought of giving TEXRail a second line without spending an extra  $170+ million or whatever it would cost and more Sunday service on our end without going all the way to DFW and connecting with the Orange Line over there.

[JBB]

Is there some kind of merit badge for having a second line?  I guess it's a fun idea and it wouldn't cost the same as a whole new line, but the operating costs currently shared on TRE and the cost of new trains is going to be pretty steep for a line that's working perfectly fine as is.  If anything, I would like to see more cooperation and collaboration across the whole region, not more division that splits up existing arrangements.  I would go so far as to say that operating whatever they're calling the eastern half of the Cotton Belt line separate from TEXRail was not the best idea.

[NThomas]

Not playing devil's advocate, but I think the complete opposite of this idea is needed. The Phoenix metro has multiple independent public transit agencies operating different services under the same unified brand: Valley Metro. Having 4 separate brands (A-train, TEXRail, Silver Line, TRE) creates more confusion than it's worth.

DART, DCTA, and Trinity Metro should operate the 4 interconnected commuter rail lines in North Texas under the single brand: TRE. Bus, light-rail, streetcar/trolley, etc. services could still operate under each individual agency's name, but unifying the commuter rail lines under a single brand creates a familiarity needed to grow ridership instead of separating service across county lines.

[Doohickie]

maybe some Stars and Mavs games at some point.

Not currently.  When I went to a Sunday Stars game this year, there was no TRE.

[Doohickie]

It's not so much a "problem" as just a thought of giving TEXRail a second line without spending an extra  $170+ million or whatever it would cost and more Sunday service on our end without going all the way to DFW and connecting with the Orange Line over there.

 

I'm still not seeing the benefit of splitting the line.  If the FtW lines ends at Centreport, what benefit does Sunday service bring?

[Jeriat]

Not playing devil's advocate, but I think the complete opposite of this idea is needed. The Phoenix metro has multiple independent public transit agencies operating different services under the same unified brand: Valley Metro. Having 4 separate brands (A-train, TEXRail, Silver Line, TRE) creates more confusion than it's worth.

DART, DCTA, and Trinity Metro should operate the 4 interconnected commuter rail lines in North Texas under the single brand: TRE. Bus, light-rail, streetcar/trolley, etc. services could still operate under each individual agency's name, but unifying the commuter rail lines under a single brand creates a familiarity needed to grow ridership instead of separating service across county lines.

 

I've suggested this a couple times, before... It might be more beneficial for DFW to have one unified system. But we all know how territorial Texas cities can be. It would be like pulling teeth from a tiger. 

 

 

I'm still not seeing the benefit of splitting the line.  If the FtW lines ends at Centreport, what benefit does Sunday service bring?

 

I was certain that service to Fort Worth stops at CentrePort all 7 days. 

If that's not the case, then I suggest CentrePort be that stop on Sundays. 

(And speaking of "game train riders", I would also think of an extension from CentrePort on the Dallas side down to Arlington between Riverside Golf Club and the Viridian lakes, following Ballpark Way... but even I'd think that might be too much of a hassle.)

[Doohickie]

I still don't understand what you're trying to say.  What's the benefit of getting to Centreport?

[JBB]

There's benefit to moving people from the outlying stations on the Tarrant County end into downtown.  I don't know if there's enough of a benefit to justify this idea, but it's something.

[Jeriat]

I still don't understand what you're trying to say.  What's the benefit of getting to Centreport?

 

That's the "Fare Zone" ending for both systems and connection to DFW. 

[Crestline]

STATION and ROUTE MAP

 

 

Is there some new map content buried in this link? I can't see it; can you extract it and post it as a regular image?

[Jeriat]

 

STATION and ROUTE MAP

 

 

Is there some new map content buried in this link? I can't see it; can you extract it and post it as a regular image?

 

Okay, try now.

[Doohickie]

 

I still don't understand what you're trying to say.  What's the benefit of getting to Centreport?

 

That's the "Fare Zone" ending for both systems and connection to DFW. 

 

I know what Centerport is.  But what is the benefit of getting to Centreport on a Sunday if the train doesn't continue on to Dallas?

[Stadtplan]

It has been a few years, actually over 15-years, since I tried it, but I took one shuttle bus from Centerport Station to remote parking south, then took another shuttle bus to the airport terminals. Is that still the name of the game for getting to the airport from there?

[elpingüino]

Now the shuttle goes directly to the terminal:
https://trinityrailw...irport-station/

[Stadtplan]

Nice. Too bad they could have built a people mover to run back and forth.

[Dylan]

A few of my thoughts on this:

 

- I see TEXRail as the name of an individual line, not the name of a multi-line system. Other lines in the Trinity Metro system should have different names.

 

- Splitting the TRE means adding a transfer, which makes transit less convenient and adds time. Just add Sunday service to the whole line.

 

- I'd like to see the fare zone disappear, with either agency's "local" fare being accepted anywhere along the line. The regional fare is overpriced and deters potential passengers.

 

- Some people don't understand that the TRE is operated by both DART and Trinity Metro. Since it has distinct branding, some people think of it as its own thing. I'm wondering if a rebrand is in order. Perhaps call it the "DART & Trinity Metro Navy Line," with each agency having "Navy Line" schedules on their respective websites rather than the TRE having its own website.

 

- In regards to the Silver Line, I suspect DART will simply brand it as "rail" alongside their light rail lines without distinction. (In other words, it wouldn't be seen as a 4th commuter line. It would be seen as a 5th DART line.)

 

- In regards to combining TEXRail and the Silver Line, IMO, having trains bypass the airport is unacceptable.

[JBB]

I would be all for getting rid of the fare zones.  I have driven past the Bell station to go to Centreport so I could save a few bucks.

 

I wasn't suggesting bypassing the airport.  I would envision east bound trains stopping at terminal B before rejoining the line to head east and vice versa.

[Dylan]

Although merging TEXRail and the Silver Line would eliminate a transfer for passengers traveling across the metroplex, I don't think it would add much convenience.

 

Terminal B is 4 minutes off of the Cotton Belt corridor. That's 8 minutes round trip. If you add another 8 minutes for the engineer to reverse direction, that's 16 minutes.

 

In that time, it would be possible for another train to depart from DFW Airport headed in the same direction.

 

Perhaps passengers could transfer at "DFW North" station. If the first EB train arrives at the airport after the second EB train departs, transferring at "DFW North" would reduce travel time.

 

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Regardless of the above, Trinity Metro ought to have control of the line within its service area, and DART ought to have control of the line within its service area.

 

There is already a cross-agency rail line (the TRE). TEXRail should continue to be a Trinity Metro line, and the Silver Line can be branded as a 5th DART line.

[JBB]

I didn't think about the travel time between those stations.  That's longer than I would have thought.  I could probably track this down on my own, but I was wondering: Is the silver line DFW North station going to sit adjacent to the TEXRail station?

[Austin55]

Is the silver line DFW North station going to sit adjacent to the TEXRail station?

Yes