Orange Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

The Orange Line (labeled as the Purple Line on maps prior to 2006) is a 37-mile-long (60 km) light rail line operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Dallas, Irving, Richardson and Plano, Texas.

Orange Line
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	DART Light Rail
Termini	Parker Road (north) DFW Airport (west)
Stations	29
Operation
Opened	December 6, 2010
Owner	DART
Operator(s)	DART
Technical
Line length	14.0 mi (22.5 km)
Track length	37 miles
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

Construction of the Irving Convention Center near the Irving Convention Center Station

DART Orange Line
DFW Airport TEXRail to T&P Station Belt Line Pres. George Bush Turnpike North Lake College Hidden Ridge (planned) SH 114 Irving Convention Center Las Colinas Urban Center South Las Colinas (planned) University of Dallas Loop 12 Loop 12 (planned) Trinity River I-35E Spur 482 Green Line to North Carrollton/Frankford Bachman Burbank West Mockingbird Lane Inwood/Love Field Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Market Center Trinity Railway Express to T&P Station Dallas North Tollway Victory Trinity Railway Express to Union Station Blue Line to Ledbetter Red Line to Westmoreland West End Akard St. Paul Pearl/Arts District Green Line to Buckner Cityplace/Uptown Knox–Henderson (unfinished; abandoned) Mockingbird Blue Line to Downtown Rowlett Lovers Lane Park Lane Walnut Hill White Rock Creek Forest Lane LBJ/Central I-635 Spring Valley Arapaho Center Galatyn Park Silver Line to DFW Airport (2022) CityLine/Bush Pres. George Bush Turnpike 12th Street (planned) Downtown Plano Parker Road
All stations have step-free access

Route

A Parker Road-bound Orange Train near Market Center

The line's current northwestern terminus is DFW Airport Station, located inside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.[1] The line proceeds southeast through Irving, providing service to the Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas, and the University of Dallas, before merging with the Green Line north of Bachman Station. The Orange Line shares the rest of its route with existing light rail lines, with stops along the Green Line from Bachman to Victory Station, through downtown Dallas on a corridor shared with the Green Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, and then northward along the Red Line corridor into Richardson and Plano.

Planned future Orange Line stations include Hidden Ridge Station between Irving Convention Center Station and North Lake College station,[2] a DFW North Station loop,[3] and an eastern extension down Scyene Road to Masters Drive (previously planned as a Green Line expansion).[4]

History

Planning and construction

The Orange Line was planned as an extension to the DART Light Rail system at least as early as 2006, when DART's 2030 System Plan described a "Northwest Corridor" route with expected revenue service to both Love Field and DFW Airport by 2013.[4]

On March 12, 2007, the City of Dallas officials and DART made an agreement to make Love Field Station a surface-level facility, concluding a long debate over whether or not to make it an underground station closer to the airport.[5][6]

On December 5, 2007, the Dallas Morning News ran a story reporting that DART President Gary Thomas said a previous cost estimate of $988 million was too low. THe new cost estimate for the 14-mile project was $1.8 – $1.9 billion, he said.[7] The $900 million overrun in costs caused considerable outrage among political leaders[8] in Irving, Texas, the city the line runs through on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Irving leaders conducted an inquiry into the cost overruns.[9] Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also inquiring about the project's cost overruns.[10]

In February 2010 DART officials warned that the first two phases of the Orange Line might be delayed due to TXDOT problems along State Highway 114, which the Orange Line route follows. Utility relocation and road construction was expected to delay access to portions of the construction area where the rail line and highway intersect. DART estimated that the delay could push the opening of the Las Colinas extension from December 2011 to August 2012; however, DART also advised that it was determined to keep the original schedule and minimize any delays.[11][2]

In June 2010, DART placed new Orange Line construction on indefinite hold due to declining revenue. However, on September 15, 2010, the agency said that due to cost savings and federal funds, the plans for the line have been revived.[12]

On December 13, 2011, DART awarded a contract to design and build the Orange Line extension from Belt Line Road to DFW Airport, valued at about $150 million, with construction to start in early 2012 and an opening date of August 18, 2014, ahead of schedule.[13]

Opening and operation

The Orange Line started operation on December 6, 2010, with weekday peak service from the Parker Road station to Bachman station on stations shared with DART's Red and Green lines. The first Orange Line-exclusive stations opened with the extension to Irving Convention Center on July 30, 2012,[14] and two more were added on December 3, 2012.[15] The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014.[1] Hidden Ridge Station, which was planned with the rest of the Orange Line but deferred until further development justified its construction, will begin construction in summer 2019 and is expected to open to revenue service in May 2020.[16]

Stations

Daily service

Listed from Northeast to Northwest. Peak-hour only service is highlighted

Station	Other lines	Opened	Notes
Parker Road		2002	Terminus for Red (full-time) and Orange Lines (peak-hour)
Downtown Plano		2002
CityLine/Bush		2002	Formerly Bush Turnpike Station until March 14, 2016. Planned Silver Line transfer station
Galatyn Park		2002
Arapaho Center		2002
Spring Valley		2002
LBJ/Central		2002	Terminus for Orange Line outside peak hours
Forest Lane		2002
Walnut Hill		2002
Park Lane		1997 (extended 2002)
Lovers Lane		1997
Mockingbird		1997	Northernmost transfer for Blue Line
Cityplace/Uptown		2000	Transfer to M-Line Trolley
Pearl/Arts District		1996	Easternmost transfer for Green Line
St. Paul		1996	Transfer to M-Line Trolley (one block north)
Akard		1996
West End		1996	Westernmost transfer station for Red and Blue Lines
Victory		2004	Transfer to Trinity Railway Express
Market Center		2010
Southwestern Medical District/Parkland		2010
Inwood/Love Center		2010
Burbank		2010
Bachman		2010	Westernmost transfer for Green Line
University of Dallas		2012
Las Colinas Urban Center		2012	Transfer to Las Colinas APT
Irving Convention Center		2012
North Lake College		2012
Belt Line		2012
DFW Airport		2014	Terminus; transfer to TEXRail at adjacent DFW Airport/Terminal B station

Special event service

Listed from East to West

• Lawnview (Also served by the Green Line)
• Hatcher (Also served by the Green Line)
• MLK, Jr. (Also served by the Green Line)
• Fair Park (Also served by the Green Line)
• Baylor University Medical Center (Also served by the Green Line)
• Deep Ellum (Also served by the Green Line)

Future/deferred

• Loop 12 station (deferred)
• South Las Colinas station (deferred)
• Hidden Ridge Station (under construction)[2]
• DFW North station (future branch)

References

1. "DART DFW Airport Station". Retrieved July 10, 2014.
2. "DART.org – DART News Release". www.dart.org.
3. http://www.dart.org/about/expansion/orangelinedfwnewsletter1.pdf
4. "DART.org – DART Transit System Plan". www.dart.org.
5. The Dallas Morning News – February 9, 2007.
6. "Rail will not tunnel under Love Field." Retrieved March 12, 2007
7. "A new cost estimate".
8. "outrage amongst political leaders".
9. "inquiry".
10. "an official letter" (PDF).
11. ""Irving light-rail segments may be delayed." The Dallas Morning News. February 24, 2010".
12. "DART finance committee OKs service changes, new debt in $1.26 billion budget". September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
13. "DART awards design-build contract for DFW Airport connection". Progressive Railroading. December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
14. Brandon Formby (July 30, 2012). "Irving's Orange Line ushers in new era in North Texas mass transit | | Dallas Morning News". Transportationblog.dallasnews.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
15. "Big day for DART as routes are extended to Rowlett, D/FW Airport | Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
16. "DART.org - DART News Release". www.dart.org. Retrieved May 19, 2019.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Orange Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

KML is from Wikidata

• Full DART System Map
• DART Expansion Plans
• DART Orange Line Expansion Information