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Dallas Area Rapid Transit unveiled its first new streetcar Monday in anticipation of beginning service from Union Station downtown to Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff.
It looks like a DART train, but the Dallas Streetcar line will travel on city streets.
"It's a shorter version. It runs in the street, just like the McKinney Avenue trolley does today," said Gary Thomas, executive director of DART.
Thomas sees the line as another way to meet the needs of a city where more and more people are moving downtown.
"How can we continue to stay on that cutting edge, and make sure that we're providing what people are looking for?" he asked.
It takes a lot of money to travel the 1.6 miles of the street car's route � about $50 million, in fact. The plan and funds were stitched together with a mix of local, regional, and national cooperation.
"[We're] Hyena happy, peacock proud and baboon beside-ourselves to be able to present the Dallas streetcar," said Vonciel Jones Hill, a Dallas City Council member.
Long-term plans call for extending the Oak Cliff line from the Omni Hotel to the Bishop Arts District.
Testing of the streetcar will begin right away on the Houston Street viaduct. It's been closed to car traffic during construction and because of delays, vehicles won't be able to cross again until June. |
