Trinity Metro

Trinity Metro is a transit agency located in and serving the city of Fort Worth, Texas and its suburbs in surrounding Tarrant County, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Since 1983, it was known as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (popularly known as FWTA and The T). As of January 29, 2018 the Board of Directors has voted to rebrand bus services as Trinity Metro, replacing the previous and long standing name.[2]

Trinity Metro
Route 2 bus in downtown Fort Worth.
Overview
Area servedTarrant County, Texas
LocaleTarrant County, Texas
Transit typeBus, Commuter Rail, Paratransit
Number of lines40+ (bus)
2 (commuter rail)
Number of stations5 (bus hubs)
2000+ (bus stops)
17 (commuter rail)
Daily ridership18,000 - 21,000
Chief executiveBob Baulsir
Headquarters1600 East Lancaster
Fort Worth, TX 76102-6720
Websiteridetrinitymetro.org
Operation
Operator(s)McDonald Transit Associates, a subdidary of RATP Group
Number of vehicles147 fixed route
76 demand response[1]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
TEXRail

 DFW Airport/Terminal B
DFW Airport North
DART Orange Line
to Parker Road
DART Silver Line
to Shiloh Road
(2022)
 Grapevine-Main Street
SH 114
 North Richland Hills/Smithfield
 North Richland Hills/Iron Horse
I-820
US 377
Fort Worth & Western RR
 Mercantile Center
TEXRail Equipment
Maintenance Facility
I-35W
SH 183
 North Side
Grapevine Vintage Railroad
to Fort Worth Stockyards
Trinity Railway Express
to Dallas Union Station
 Fort Worth Central Station
T&P Station
I-30
 Medical Center
planned extension
planned extension
TCU/Berry
I-20
 I-20/Granbury Road
Chisholm Trail Parkway
 Sycamore School Road

Trinity Metro primarily operates the region's bus service, and partners with Denton County Transportation Authority to operate express bus service to Denton on the North Texas Xpress (Route 64). The agency is also involved in the operation of two commuter rail lines: TEXRail, a commuter rail service connecting downtown Fort Worth with DFW Airport via Northeast Tarrant County; and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), operated in partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which offers commuter rail service from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas via DFW.

History

Through the early 1970s, bus transit services in Fort Worth were provided by City Transit Company, a private enterprise. Starting in 1974, the city's Traffic Engineering Department began coordinating bus operations. In 1978, the city established the Fort Worth Department of Transportation, which took over public transit operations. These operations included the City Transit Service (CITRAN) and the Surface Transportation Service (SURTRAN), with transportation services for the handicapped (MITS) being added in 1979.[3]

On November 8, 1983, voters approved formation of The T. To finance the system, voters levied a half-cent sales tax. The CITRAN, SURTRAN, and MITS services were folded into the new agency, along with carpool and vanpool coordination.

The agency's first addition came on November 5, 1991 when the small suburb of Lake Worth voted 344–206 in favor of joining the T. That prompted three more elections on May 2, 1992 when Blue Mound, Forest Hill and Richland Hills had the issue of joining the agency on the ballot. Blue Mound and Richland Hills voted in favor while Forest Hill declined the measure nearly 2–1.[4]

The T saw its first departure when voters in Lake Worth approved a pullout in September 2003. Service withdrawal became effective on March 21, 2004. Lake Worth had previously tried to pull out in 1996, but that measure failed. On November 8, 2016, Richland Hills residents voted to withdraw from the agency's services. FWTA's final day of service in Richland Hills was November 23, 2016.[5]

In 2001, the FWTA saw its cooperation efforts with DART pay off as the Trinity Railway Express reached downtown Fort Worth. The other end of the line terminates in downtown Dallas.

The TRE commuter line has a daily ridership of 9,100[6] and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country.

On August 24, 2016, Trinity Metro broke ground on TEXRail, the second commuter rail project undertaken by the agency, and the first built solely by Trinity Metro.[7] The rail line was initially envisioned to run along the existing Cotton Belt Railway Corridor[lower-alpha 1] from DFW airport to the Fort Worth Stockyards, head South along Union Pacific owned track to the Fort Worth Central Station, and continue along Fort Worth & Western Railroad tracks to Benbrook Lake.[9] As of the FWTA 2015 master plan, citing "project costs and other considerations", the agency decided to build the 27 mile Minimum Operable Segment (MOS) between downtown Fort Worth and DFW Terminal B. The other considerations likely included stalled negotiations with Fort Worth & Western, Union Pacific, and DART, over securing right of way for TEXRail trains.[10] The MOS included 2 new stations in Fort Worth, one in Grapevine, two at DFW Airport, and 3 potential stations in North Richland Hills and Haltom City. The three potential stations were conditional on either city joining the Trinity Metro service area, which requires imposing a half cent sales tax to help fund the agency[lower-alpha 2]. North Richland Hills joined Trinity Metro in 2018, while Haltom City never did, as a result, two stations were built in North Richland Hills, and the Haltom City station was not.[11] The MOS was completed, and TEXRail began service between downtown Fort Worth and DFW airport on January 10, 2019, with free rides until January 31, 2019 to " give everyone an opportunity to ride".[12]

On January 29, 2018, the transit agency's board of directors voted to rebrand FWTA/The T as Trinity Metro, and revealed a new logo, that depicts three triangles forming the letter "M" in its negative spaces. The name change officially took place on March 23, 2018 on its website and social media presence.[13][14]

Member Cities

In its 1983 creation, Trinity Metro, then known as the Fort Worth Transit Authority, consisted of only one city, Fort Worth. Over the next 10 years, three small communities joined Trinity Metro, only one of which remains a member city. No new cities joined Trinity Metro until 2006, when Grapevine joined the authority in response to the promise of TEXRail. Later, in 2018, the city of North Richland Hills joined Trinity Metro, also in response to potential economic development associated with TEXRail[11]. This made North Richland Hills the second largest member city behind Fort Worth.

Below is a table displaying current and former Trinity Metro member cities, when they joined the authority, and if applicable, when they left.

City Year Joined Year Left Notes
Fort Worth 1983 - Fort Worth is the first, and by far largest, member city of Trinity Metro.
Lake Worth 1991 2003 Lake Worth was the first community outside of Fort Worth to join Trinity Metro, as well as the first to leave.[4]
Blue Mound 1992 - Blue Mound is the oldest continuous member city outside of Fort Worth
Richland Hills 1992 2016 In November 2016, just over 55% of voters in Richland Hills voted to leave Trinity Metro. The city continued to pay off its contracts with Trinity Metro before cutting the half-cent sales tax.[5]
Grapevine 2006 - In November 2006, the city of Grapevine held a ballot measure to impose a half-cent sales tax to fund Trinity Metro with intention to fund TEXRail. The measure passed with 75% of the vote, a 3-1 margin[15][16]
North Richland Hills 2018 - In 2018 North Richland Hills joined Trinity Metro with the intent to utilize two new TEXRail station to catalyze its own economic redevelopment.[11]

Services offered

The bulk of Trinity Metro's operations involve 46 bus routes within Tarrant County. Most route through downtown Fort Worth, where the TRE has two train stations, Fort Worth Central Station and T&P Station. Fort Worth Central Station is the major transit station for Trinity Metro, where the TEXRail and TRE commuter rail lines and twenty-five bus routes meet. Prior to opening in 2001, the main downtown transit hub centered around bus lines all converging along the Houston/Throckmorton corridor, with northbound service on Throckmorton Street and southbound service on Houston Street – between Lancaster Avenue and Belknap Street.

Trinity Metro also operates a vanpool/carpool service. A vanpool/carpool is a group of at least seven people who share the costs of getting to and from work. These individuals usually live and work near each other. Monthly fares will vary, depending on the origination point of the van and the daily miles involved. Riders pay only for the portion of the trip they use. For instance, if the service picks up riders in different counties, it's possible for some riders to pay more than others.

The last service Trinity Metro offers is Trinity Metro ACCESS (formerly MITS - Mobility Impaired Transportation Service). It offers door-to-door transportation within the service areas of Forest Hill, Fort Worth, Blue Mound and River Oaks. Trained drivers are available to assist passengers in boarding and alighting vehicles specially designed to accommodate the mobility impaired.

Commuter rail

Bus routes

As of 30 December 2018:[17]

  • 1 Hemphill
  • 2 Camp Bowie
  • 3 South Riverside/TCC South Campus
  • 4 East Rosedale
  • 5 (a) Evans Ave/LaGran Plaza / (b) Wichita/Glen Garden
  • 6 8th Ave/McCart/Hulen Mall
  • 7 University Drive
  • 8 Riverside/Evans (Sunday Only)
  • 9 Ramey/Vickery
  • 10 Bailey
  • 11 North Beach/Mercantile Center
  • 12 Samuels/Mercantile Center
  • 14 Sylvania/NE 28th
  • 15 Stockyards/North Main
  • 16 Alliance Town Center/Mercantile Center Station
  • 18X Safari Xpress (Seasonal)
  • 19 Molly the Trolley[18][19]
  • 20 Handley
  • 21 Boca Raton
  • 22 Meadowbrook
  • 23 TCC Northeast Campus/TRE
  • 24 Berry Street
  • 25 Crosstown
  • 26 Ridgmar Mall/Normandale
  • 27 Como
  • 28 Mansfield Hwy
  • 30 CentrePort Circulator
  • 32 Bryant Irvin
  • 44 Central/Azle Ave
  • 45 TCC Northwest/Angle Ave
  • 46 Jacksboro Highway
  • 60X Eastside Xpress
  • 61X Normandale Xpress
  • 63X North Park & Ride Xpress
  • 64X North Texas Xpress (Denton)
  • 65X South Park & Ride Xpress
  • 66X Candleridge/Altamesa Xpress
  • 67X TCC Southeast Campus XPress
  • 71 Forest Hill
  • 72 Hemphill/Sycamore School Road
  • 89 SPUR/East Lancaster
  • 90 Long Ave
  • 91 Ridgmar Mall/Stockyards
  • 991 Juror Shuttle
  • 111 Bell Helicopter Shuttle
  • LL Burnett Plaza Lunch Trolley
  • The Dash[20][21]

Eliminated
  • 1N North Main (now 15)
  • 1S Hemphill (now 1)
  • 2W Camp Bowie[22]
  • 2E East Lancaster (now 89 SPUR)
  • 16 Downtown Trolley[23]
  • 16 Rosedale/Montgomery[24]
  • 17 Central Avenue[24]
  • 23 Mercantile[25]
  • 28 Diamond Hill[23]
  • 29 TCU Frog Shuttle (earlier TCU Circulator)[26][27]
  • 31 Sycamore School Road[23]
  • 31 Stonegate/TCU Shuttle[28]
  • 40 Bridgewood[29]
  • 41 Richland Hills Rider Request
  • 42 Southeast Rider Request
  • 43 Town Center Rider Request/Fixed
  • 44 Alta Mesa Rider Request[23]
  • 45 Forest Park/Mistletoe Heights[26]
  • 46 Lake Worth Rider Request
  • 47 Northsider Rider Request
  • 48 Northside (originally Samuels)[23][30]
  • 57 Como/Montgomery[31]
  • 62 Summerfields Express
  • 64 East Lancaster Express[26]
  • 67 Dallas Express[26]
  • 67 Lamar Blvd. Park & Ride[32]
  • 68 Park Springs Park & Ride
  • 69 Alliance Express
  • 82 Southeast Zone Rider Request[33]
  • 83 Southeast Zone Rider Request[33]

Labor relations

From November 6, 2006 through November 11, 2006, around 100 of FWTA's union workers went on strike, citing the agency's policy regarding termination of employees who had used up their short-term disability benefits. This represented about a third of the workers represented by Teamsters Local 997. Service continued with delays the next morning by non-striking drivers, and FWTA began advertising for replacement drivers. During the dispute, bus rides on FWTA were free, and the agency announced that monthly pass holders will receive a 25% discount on their December passes. By Friday, replacement workers and other drivers willing to cross the picket lines had restored service to normal levels.[34]

FWTA offered a new contract proposal late in the week, which was rejected on Saturday by a vote of 37 to 21. But because less than half of the 155 union members voted, a 2/3 majority of the vote was required to reject the contract. That would have required 39 of the 58 votes, so the contract was declared "accepted".[35]

Service on the Trinity Railway Express was not affected, as the rail line's employees work under a different contract.

Nine years earlier, a four-day strike in 1997 shut down 75% of The T's service.

Notes
  1. The Cotton Belt Corridor is a 56 mile disused rail line, running between Wylie and the Fort Worth Stockyards. It was purchased by DART in 1993.[8]
  2. Texas law limits local governments to a sales tax of, at most, 2%
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References
  1. "Fort Worth T stats" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  2. "The T Beomes Trinity Metro". January 29, 2018.
  3. City of Fort Worth Texas - Departments
  4. 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page E640
  5. Dickson, Gordon (November 9, 2016). "What's next for Richland Hills after leaving Fort Worth transit agency". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  6. APTA: APTA Ridership Reports Statistics-United States Transit Agency Totals Index Archived October 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Groundbreaking For Tarrant County TEX Rail Commuter Line". CBS Local Media. August 24, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  8. Leszcynski, Ray (July 28, 2018). "Here are 4 things DART's Cotton Belt stations will mean for Plano". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  9. "T Master Plan 2015" (PDF). Trinity Metro. March 20, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  10. Dickson, Gordon (February 8, 2019). "Why Fort Worth (probably) can't have a TEXRail system as large as Dallas' DART trains". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  11. Richter, Marice (June 23, 2018). "North Richland Hills: Transit, demographics, location fuel growth". North Richland Hills Economic Development. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  12. Dickson, Gordon (December 6, 2018). "Why is TEXRail planning to let its commuter train passengers ride for free?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  13. Fort Worth's transit agency has unveiled a new logo. Here's the explanation behind it - Fort Worth Star-Telegram (publish March 1, 2018; accessed March 23, 2018)
  14. Trinity Metro - previously FWTA official Facebook page (accessed March 23, 2018)
  15. "USA: Huge Net Gain for Public Transport in November 2006 Vote". Light Rail Now. November 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  16. "Public Transportation – TEX Rail Commuter Rail". City of Grapevine Texas. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  17. "Route Schedules Effective September 22, 2019". Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  18. "T Master Plan 2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  19. "Molly the Trolley". Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  20. The Dash PDF Schedule - Trinity Metro (accessed November 1, 2019)
  21. Dash and Discover - Trinity Metro (accessed November 1, 2019)
  22. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  23. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on June 3, 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  24. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  25. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  26. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  27. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on October 9, 2004. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  28. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  29. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  30. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on April 11, 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  31. "Bus Routes & Schedules". Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  32. "How To Use The System Maps & Routes Schedules". Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  33. "Sunday Schedules". Archived from the original on January 4, 2001. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  34. Story Archived February 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine T strike coverage from WFAA-TV
  35. Story T strike coverage from the Star-Telegram
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