Dallas — Exapnsion Planned

February 2014

The starter modern streetcar line from downtown Dallas Union Station across the Trinity River to the Oak Cliff neighborhood is part of a planned larger streetcar network, Dallas Morning News reports. As the region's large light rail network hits the edge of downtown, there remains a need for high quality trasportation throughout the downtown core. Streetcars are seen as solution to this need.

Only limited funding was available for the Dallas to Oak Cliff initial link, so it was truncated to a minimum route. But since plans were developed, both Oak Cliff and downtown Dallas have seen growth. The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff has become a quite popular dining and shopping area. At the same time the Omni Dallas Hotel will include new restaurants making the southwest area of downtown a more attractive destination.

The second phase of the streetcar project will extend the line at both ends inclduing a convention center stop downtown and a Bishop Arts stop in Oak Cliff. So far $30.8 million in grant funds are available for the project.

Next, planners want to go through the center of downtown and eventually tie the modern streetcar route into the McKinney Avenue trolley. There would be various transfer points connecting DART’s light rail, the streetcar and the trolley together. The result would connect regional transit to Bishop Arts, downtown’s hot spots and Uptown.