Throw Back Thursday Dallas Streetcar

Posted on Aug 24, 2017 by dartdallas
Who doesn’t love to ride DART’s Dallas Streetcar? Dallas Streetcar runs every day starting at 5:30 a.m. in the morning and running until midnight.  You can hop on the streetcar and connect to DART Rail at Union Stations.  The Streetcar is free for everyone.  That’s right, FREE! Providing folks with nimble mobility options, they can travel easily to destinations such as Lake Cliff Park, Bishop Arts District, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, and Union Station.  Better yet, the Dallas Streetcar provides connections to other transportation systems in North Texas, including DART Rail, DART bus, and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), allowing folks to transfer and move flexibly and reliably around the region. What’s the History of the Streetcar in North Texas? Streetcars have a long and vibrant history in North Texas.  In fact, the first system began with mule-drawn cars in 1872, running up and down Main Street. Similar to our DART streetcar of today, the very first street car was painted yellow and white! By 1936, more than 300 streetcars were running.  The Dallas Transit Company introduced buses a few years after, and by the 1950s most of the region’s streetcars were retiring due to increased bus service.  However, from the seventeenth to the twentieth century  streetcars served the workers, residents and travelers who called North Texas home.
Click here to watch a Vintage Streetcar Video in the Fair Park area circa 1953
How did the DART Dallas Streetcar become a Reality?   The Dallas Streetcar we know and love today, opened on April 13, 2015 as a collaborative project between DART, the City of Dallas, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).  This project was funded by federal dollars through a TIGER grant, local funds and funds through the NCTCOG. Operating between downtown Dallas and Oak Cliff has allowed North Texans to make their way around the region without a hassle.  In 2016, a new extension to the Bishop Arts community opened up this neighborhood to visitors and residents, offering more than 60 independent boutiques, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. What’s Next for the Streetcar? DART is currently exploring connections to the Dallas Streetcar to the Dallas Convention Center and connection to the McKinney Avenue Trolley. DART is seeking funding for the extended connections for the Dallas Streetcar (as well as the D2 Subway and platform extensions) through the Federal Transit Administration’s Program of Interrelated Projects. Our public transit system has a rich history here in North Texas.  The Dallas Streetcar has transformed from mule-pulled carriages to the state-of-the-art electric system run by DART today.  Stay tuned as we take a look back on other DART projects, and in case you missed it, take a peek at our throwback to the opening of DART’s Green Line.
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