Leading Mobility: Modernizing the DART System

FEBRUARY 2024

Hello Community Partners:

This month, many in our communities recognize the start of the Lunar New Year. It is a celebration of life, relationships, and the hope for a prosperous year ahead. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. In Chinese culture, wood represents vitality and creativity, and dragons are associated with authority, strength, and good fortune.

Those are all attributes that DART hopes to strengthen as we continue our progress on the agency’s initiatives.

This weekend, I am honored to represent both DART and my Taiwanese heritage at Chinese New Year celebration events for the Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and the North Texas Collin County Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce. Taiwan, and especially the city of Taipei, provides powerful examples of how strong public transportation can be an economic asset for a city or region.

In this issue, you will learn about the System Modernization Program that will replace and improve DART’s aging vehicles, facilities, and infrastructure, which will lead to a more reliable and comfortable travel experience for our riders.

You will also learn more about our new DART Board Secretary M. Nathan Barbera and the City of Farmers Branch.

As the Year of the Dragon begins, I wish you and your loved ones a year filled with abundance, good health, happiness, and success.

‌

President & Chief Executive Officer

Dallas Area Rapid Transit

New Vehicles, Renovated Facilities Will Modernize System

Over the next 10 years, DART riders will enjoy new modern buses and trains, as well as renovated stations and transit centers. These updates will be most visible to the public and will show the communities we serve that DART is preparing for the future.

Known as the System Modernization Program, this comprehensive effort will also modernize DART’s rail signal systems, renovate its bus and rail maintenance facilities, and enhance the resiliency of the rail system guideway, tracks, and other elements across the rail corridor during extreme weather.

Click here to learn how the System Modernization Program fits into the agency’s overall strategic plan.

DART Board Director Spotlight – M. Nathan Barbera

M. Nathan Barbera, a member of the DART Board of Directors, began a two-year term as the Secretary of the DART Board this past October. The cities of Plano and Farmers Branch appointed Barbera to the board in 2022.

Click here to learn more about Director Barbera’s goals for his service on the DART Board.

City Spotlight: Farmers Branch

Each month, we will spotlight a city in the DART Service Area and the service that

DART provides.

Farmers Branch has been part of the DART Service Area since the agency’s beginning in August 1983. The city has retained its small-town feel while offering direct big city access, an extensive parks system, a strong business community, and a growing restaurant scene.

Farmers Branch Station opened in December 2010 as part of the Green Line Phase II opening. Two bus routes and a GoLink zone also anchor at the station.

Click here to learn more about the impact of DART Service in the city of Farmers Branch.

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