Another rail line not previously discussed...
Cities weighing rail service on BNSF line
Proposed route runs from TRE in Irving to Highway 380 in Frisco
01:03 PM CST on Saturday, March 8, 2008
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
ssandoval@dallasnews.com
City managers from Irving to Frisco know begging won't advance DART's plan to someday start rail service between their cities.
Not when soaring construction costs are complicating efforts to keep even the agency's higher-priority projects on schedule.
So the managers of Irving, Farmers Branch, Carrollton and Frisco are taking a different approach. They want to study the feasibility of rail service along the 25-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe line – and look for a way to pay for it.
The managers expect to ask their city councils this month to authorize them to form a DFW Rail Coalition, possibly with a paid staff.
Each city in the coalition would contribute money based on its population. Businesses, chambers of commerce and other entities would be invited to participate.
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Providing rail service along the BNSF right of way is already included in DART's 2030 long-range plan, DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said. But so far the idea, like other parts of the plan that have not been funded, is merely part of the agency's "vision."
Mr. Lyons said DART would support the cities' efforts to speed the line's development by finding a way to pay for it. If the cities develop a plan, they could seek to contract with DART to build or operate the service, or find another way to build it.
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