D2 Subway + Dallas Streetcar = More flexibility for the region!

Posted on May 18, 2017 by dartdallas
Imagine this: you’re making your way from downtown Plano to check out some of the new restaurants in the Bishop Arts District.  Instead of catching a cab or navigating through traffic on foot in the Texas heat, you can take the Orange Line to downtown Dallas and transfer at a new D2 Subway Station and hop on the Dallas Streetcar shuttling you in minutes to your destination.  As DART goes through the project development process for the D2 Subway, we’re investigating how this project will connect to other forms of transportation, like the Dallas Streetcar, high speed rail, the Trinity Railway Express, Megabus or McKinney Avenue Trolley. Successful transit systems include multiple modes of transit that can connect together and increase flexibility.  When DART plans a new project, we consider not just how a singular project will help address a particular capacity issue or solve an individual congestion problem, we also think about how it will strengthen and connect to the entire transportation network as a whole. Connections between Modes Creates a Stronger System While the planning process is underway for the D2 Subway, we are also thinking about not just how to construct this tunnel but how it fits into the larger multi-modal system. One of these connection points is linking the D2 Subway to the Dallas Streetcar. The Dallas Streetcar is an existing 2.4-mile streetcar track that connects the Oak Cliff community to rail centers at Union Station. The D2 Subway + the Dallas Streetcar Similar to the three proposed D2 Subway routes, DART has developed four potential streetcar expansions that will increase flexibility for the system overall. This new streetcar path is referred to as the “Central Link,” and the proposed routes are: Option #1 Elm & Commerce Alternative: The Elm and Commerce Alternative utilizes both streets to create a loop.  The streetcar will travel up Lamar connecting at Elm Street.  It will then travel across that street until connecting to North Olive Street.  The streetcar will proceed up until it makes its way back down North St. Paul Street eventually finishing its loop by connecting to Commerce Street. Elm & Commerce Alternative Option #2 Main Street Alternative: The Main Street Alternative travels up Lamar Street before making its way down Main Street before completing the loop up North Olive and down North St. Paul Street. Main Street Alternative Option #3 Young Street Alternative: The Young Street Alternative snakes down Young Street, heading up North Olive, eventually making its way back down North St. Paul Street. Young Street Alternative Option #4 Ross & San Jacinto Alternative: The Ross and San Jacinto Alternative travels up Griffin and makes its way down San Jacinto before completing the loop up North Olive and down North St. Paul Street, back to Ross before returning to Griffin. Ross & San Jacinto Alternative The DART light rail system is more than just our 93 miles of light rail; it includes an array of modes of transit working together to provide flexibility for our entire region.  That’s why as we forge ahead in the project development process for the D2 Subway, we’re thinking about how it will connect to the larger system.  Whether light rail, regional rail, subway, or streetcar, DART is working to continue moving North Texas forward.
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