DART Transform is a multifaceted system modernization program that will repair, replace, and modernize many of the agency’s assets over the next decade. This program is an integral part of achieving the agency’s Point B Strategic Plan goal to deliver a quality customer experience to our riders and the communities we serve.
The primary goal of DART Transform is to modernize our system by making investments that enhance safety, reliability, and accessibility while also elevating the customer experience. The first step in accomplishing this will be to bring DART’s assets and system back to a State of Good Repair (SGR). That means the condition of those assets, both individually and as a system, is good enough that they consistently perform as designed without breaking.
DART plans to modernize our system where possible as we address the SGR needs, taking advantage of technological improvements and advances in design. We will also make upgrades that build the resiliency of the system during extreme weather events. Reinvesting in our existing infrastructure and equipment is essential for delivering safe and reliable transit service to thousands of daily riders.
As a starting point, our Development and Operations departments completed an 18-month comprehensive assessment of the current condition of all DART assets. They inspected 1,500 vehicles, 120 facilities, and over 500 rail and system components. The inspection identified around 2,000 necessary projects and set a baseline for current asset condition, including remaining useful life, which is how long something will last until it needs to be replaced.
The assessment is informing a new strategic transit asset management plan that we will use to aid our financial planning and prioritization of our SGR activities and investments. The SGR assessment has helped us identify what can be repaired affordably, how much longer equipment will last if repaired, which repairs and replacements are urgent, and which can wait.
Long-term planning of asset replacement is critical because items like new buses and trains have lead times of three to six years. In fact, by the time the new buses and trains arrive, many of our current vehicles will be at or beyond the end of their useful life. Further, we will need a carefully orchestrated construction plan to renovate our rail and bus operating facilities while still using them.
Once the FY 2025 Transit Asset Management Plan is finalized, DART staff will begin programming the remaining identified projects across the next 10 years.
You can learn more about DART Transform at DART.org/CapitalProjects