Honoring EBJ, Record Breaking Ridership, Silver Line Update, & Name that Train!

News & Updates

January 12, 2024 Issue

5 Things to Know About Eddie Bernice Johnson

dallasnews.com

Eddie Bernice Johnson, who served for 30 years in Congress, was a trailblazer.

She was the first African American to serve as chief psychiatric nurse at Dallas’ VA hospital; the first African American from Dallas to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction; the first registered nurse elected to Congress; and the first Black woman to chair the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Here are five things to know about Johnson:

Johnson grew up in Waco, loving arts and culture.

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As a nurse, Johnson experienced overt racism.

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Johnson’s seniority helped her secure funding for North Texas.

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Dallas’ Union Station bears Johnson’s name.

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Johnson’s tenure was not without controversy

Shania? Bullet? Help Trinity Metro Choose Names for Its TexRail Fleet

ftwtoday.6amcity.com

Trinity Metro needs your help naming seven of its trains in the TexRail fleet. So far, only one of its eight trains has a name... Spike.

In honor of its fifth anniversary, Trinity Metro is hosting a “Name That Train” contest. Here’s how it works:

Name suggestions should only be one word
No obscene or vulgar names will be considered
One entry per person
Submit your entry by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31

The seven winning names will be based on creativity and appropriateness. If a winning entry is submitted by more than one person, a random drawing will take place to select a winner.

Each winner will receive a free 31-day local Trinity Metro ticket and a framed photo of the winner beside the train.

$8.2 Billion in IIJA Intercity Rail Project Funding Announced

enotrans.org

(In December,) the Biden Administration is announcing $8.2 billion in grants for ten projects providing enhanced and new passenger rail service in the coming years outside the Northeast Corridor as part of its implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

(The full FRA fact sheets for each of the ten projects can be read here.)

President Biden (traveled) to Las Vegas to announce the funding because the second-largest grant being announced today is $3.0 billion for the Brightline West high-speed rail project, which hopes to build true high-speed rail along a 218-mile line from Las Vegas, NV to Rancho Cucamonga, CA, at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour. (Faster than even Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo could drive their car along the same route.)

The program is the “Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail” grant program, a high-profile part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

By USDOT grant program standards, four of the ten grants being announced are enormous, with the rest being in the range that other programs have provided in the past.

The biggest grant is $3.1 billion to the California High Speed Rail Authority to help fulfill Governor Gavin Newsom’s interim vision of an operational high-speed line between Merced and Bakersfield.

The money will go towards part of the cost of extending the Initial Construction Segment (the part funded by the Obama Administration 13 years ago) northward from Madera (pop. 66,224) to Merced (pop. 86,333) and southward from Shafter (pop. 16,988) into Bakersfield proper (pop. 403,455), and electrifying track and buying actual trainsets. (As a separate article in this issue notes, this $3.1 billion still leaves CHSRA several billion dollars short of being able to finish the Merced-Bakersfield section, much less go anywhere near San Francisco or Los Angeles.)

After the aforementioned $3.0 billion Brightline project, the next-largest grant is $1.1 billion for an early part of a much more expensive attempt to bring passenger rail service from Raleigh, NC to Richmond, VA. This grant is just to upgrade existing CSX track between Raleigh and Wake Forest. The real problem, as the map provided by sponsors shows, is on the Virginia side of the state line, where there is no existing, operational track.

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Future corridor designations

Out of that $36 billion advance appropriation in the IIJA for the FSP program, five percent $360 million) is set aside for corridor development activities under 49 U.S.C. §25101. This required local entitles to apply for intercity passenger rail corridor designation pursuant to this December 2020 NOFO, and successful applicants would then get several advantages:

Official designation as a corridor, accompanied with a $500,000 grant (at a 100 percent federal share), to be used to develop a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for a full “service development plan” (SDP) for that corridor;
Eligibility for a future “Step 2” grant out of the $360 million pot for preparation of the Service Development Plan;
Eligibility for a future “Step 3” grant out of the $360 million pot for project development activities for projects on the SDP, including preliminary engineering and NEPA paperwork; and
Priority in selection for the remaining $3.06 billion in off-NEC appropriations, and any future appropriations, for the FSP program, pursuant to subsection (d)(2)(A)(ii) of 49 U.S.C. §24911.

As part of (the) rollout, USDOT is announcing $500,000 corridor development Step 1 grants to 69 corridors, totaling $34.5 million. Only six are for high-speed rail and the remainder are for conventional service, either new or existing.

DART to Host Silver Line Community Meetings Across Dallas, Collin Counties

communityimpact.com

Officials have scheduled community meetings in Coppell, Plano and Richardson to provide the latest information on the Silver Line rail project.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit and design-build contractor Archer Western Herzog are hosting another round of biannual community meetings through Feb. 1. During the meeting, officials will deliver updates on design and construction progress for the project.

The first meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 in Coppell. The last meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in Plano. Other meetings are scheduled in Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Dallas, according to DART’s website.

Denton County Transportation Authority Celebrates Record-Breaking Ridership, Plans for Future Growth

communityimpact.com

With 2.9 million riders in 2023, Denton County Transportation Authority experienced a record year and is operating back at its pre-pandemic numbers. The organization provides transportation throughout Denton County via rail and bus routes, rides for senior citizens and GoZone, its on-demand ridesharing service.

“We're really seeing the effectiveness of public transit in our communities that we serve,” said David Magaña, DCTA’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

By the numbers

Bus routes drew 77% more riders than the previous year.
GoZone ridership increased 38% from the previous year.
A-train ridership increased 28% from the previous year.

Apartments Rise as First Piece of $1B Project Next to DART Train Station in Carrollton

bizjournals.com

An apartment building is going vertical near Trinity Mills Station in Carrollton as part of a $1 billion project that aims to catalyze development and improve connectivity in an increasingly urban part of the Metroplex.

Groundbreaking occurred in December for the mixed-use community's first apartment building, called Eviva Trinity Mills. The $101 million project represents a partnership between public and private entities striving to create a walkable and transit-friendly district.

But the transformation started more than 20 years ago, when in 2003 the city of Carrollton bought 16 acres around Dickerson Parkway for future development. In 2021, the city teamed up with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART, to build infrastructure for a project near the station that planned to blend residential, retail and restaurant space at the southeast corner of Interstate 35E and President George Bush Turnpike.

In early 2023, construction was completed on a three-acre public esplanade that runs through the project and features an artistic and colorful water fountain. The city hopes to host outdoor concerts and festivals in the park in the future.

It all adds up to a clear example of what's called transit-oriented development: the dense construction of buildings with a mix of uses and designs reachable even without a car.

This kind of big city development is crucial throughout the Dallas metro to keep up with its immense growth, experts have said.

The development is flanked by two major shopping centers that were recently revitalized, thanks to a city grant program that sought to rehabilitate old retail centers. They are the Carrollton Town Center — anchored by an Asian supermarket chain, 99 Ranch Market — and the Korean Mall shopping center, home to an H Mart.

The transit-oriented development, one of the largest TODs in North Texas, seeks to further this trend of revitalization and prepare the city for the future, said Ravi Shah, Carrollton's urban development director.

“This is a catalyst project," he said. "This is a 20-plus acre site. We are looking at the future, not only on the east side of I-35 but even on the west side.”

Shah said he hopes it will create opportunity for people to embrace a "live, work, play" lifestyle and make Carrollton a desirable spot for corporate headquarters.

City officials and DART approved Atlanta-based Integral Group Ventures LLC to develop the Eviva apartments. Plans for the five-story building call for 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and more than 430 family units. The $101 million building on close to four acres is slated to open by the end of 2025.

Additionally, the Trinity Mills Station represents one of the few stations that has two different transit lines, serving as the transfer location between the DART Green Line rail, which extends into downtown Dallas, and the Denton County Transportation Authority train. The DCTA also offers connections between Lewisville, Denton and Highland Village.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Transit Coalition of North Texas

TransitNorthTexas.org