Comments on: New Rail Corridor for Dallas Would Double Downtown Transit Capacity

By: Jarrett at HumanTransit.org

Jarrett at HumanTransit.org — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:38:28 +0000

I concur a bit with M1EK on the “choice” thing. I absolutely never use the term, even in quotation marks, because it implies a binary class division that oversimplifies the diversity of options and choice-points that really motivate mode choice decisions. Great public transit lines are always useful to a huge diverse range of people, and invoking polarizing terms like “choice” shut down the kind of inclusive discussion that can lead to inclusive infrastructure. Everyone in society gets to make choices, and we must respect their right, and power, to do so.

By: Jarrett at HumanTransit.org

Jarrett at HumanTransit.org — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:31:10 +0000

Can anyone think of a streetcar that duplicates adjacent light rail to the extent that the proposed Deep Elum line does in your drawing?

By: Nitpicker

Nitpicker — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:37:11 +0000

Dallas-Fort Worth is actually the largest ‘metropolis’ in Texas. Houston is the largest city, but not metro area. CMSA is probably the best way to compare. Any measurement that separates Dallas and Ft. Worth is not credible, the seamless development where they merge now stretches more than 40 miles north to south from Little Elm to Cedar Hill/Mansfield. While the downtown to downtown distance is roughly the same, the overlap is much tighter and continuous than the larger DC-Baltimore CMSA.

Good luck with that LRT extension west across the Trinity River, since the mapmaker has decided they’ll just kick the freight rail line out to who knows where and use their bridge. Impossible without a massive $13 billion bypass plan around the metro, which is barely into the planning stages, none of the freight railroads have agreed to, and is 2 decades away at the earliest. An alternative LRT alignment or the streetcar line are under consideration.

By: Alton in Big D

Alton in Big D — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:38:17 +0000

The convention center hotel has been a point of contention since it’s been proposed. It does not surprise me they want to have the shiny train in front to make it look better.

DART is currently retrofitting all of the platforms and cars for level boarding, so that each LRV will have a middle section that is low-floor. When I met one of the engineers there, she said that low floor cars were not available to them at the time, but did not elaborate.

The TOD is pretty cool, but seriously overpriced (Single bedroom places start at $900/month, which is insane for Tx). Mockingbird Station/West Village ect are always crowded with shoppers, but I think the prices have to come down before more people will seriously consider living there. The transit share for residents is also pretty bad as far as TOD goes.

By: NikolasM

NikolasM — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:30:33 +0000

The D2 line really should take the alignment one or two blocks north of City Hall/Convention Center, as it is much more central and useful to the high rise offices of downtown. Is it so hard for them choice folk to walk just an itty bitty bit, especially for such large savings?

By: Lou

Lou — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:17:58 +0000

I just recently visited Dallas and saw all their entire rail system, not too bad for just starting up in 1996. Even though DART is going through an impressive expassion, they are still going to need to expand farther to fill in the remaining possible corridors. I suggest the Orange line head east along Military Parkway.A line through west Dallas (possibly along Davis St. ala Portland Interstate Ave.) and a line along the Dallas North Tollway (huge retail, office, and mixed use centers right on the road), as well as expanding the short southern segments of the Blue and Red lines. Only then will commuters and residents completely ditch the car for Light Rail.

There was alot TOD going up downtown, mockingbird, plano, garland, lake highlands (openning next year), and victory stations too. I bet soon there will be even more than dc area, after all the expansion.

One question though, why did DART buy step up LRV’s and not low level? Werent they avalible in the 90’s?

By: Allen

Allen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:28:08 +0000

Denver has the same problem.

By: M1EK

M1EK — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:29:37 +0000

I disagree completely with this statement:

“This emphasis on “choice” riders is the result of putting people who rarely use public transit in charge of deciding how future lines are routed, a problem common to almost every city.”

Actually, in a city like Dallas where most of the voting population does not use public transit, building a system which appears attractive to ‘choice’ riders is the only logical way the system can expand and thrive in the future.