Quote:
Originally Posted by austlar1
Is the SW to NE rail line in FW a real possibility? I can't imagine conservative FW coming up with the money to make it happen. Have things changed that dramatically in the past few years?
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Fort Worth is not the same place it was even as recently as three-five years ago. There has been tremendous population growth and significant central-city development.
The Southwest-to-Northeast line is very real. Currently, The T is doing its Environmental Impact Study (required for projects that use federal funds). Once this is completed and finalized (likely by the end of the year), the project will be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration to move forward. They're also underway on the engineering side of things as well. If things go smoothly, the line will be up and running as early as 2012.
(Incidentally, the current plan will be the primary route on the map. That's been pretty much decided since the map was made.)
The Southwest-to-Northeast line is just the beginning, though. Fort Worth is also in the early stages of planning a modern streetcar system for the urban core. The Fort Worth Central City Redevelopment Committee has made their official recommendation and proposal to the city council - the city needs a modern streetcar.
Short-term, the proposal wants to see a line from downtown to the Cultural District via 7th, downtown to TCU/Bluebonnet Circle via the Near Southside, and a line to Texas Wesleyan from downtown via the Near Southside and Evans/Rosedale. Later expansion lines include the Trinity Uptown/Mercado/Stockyards line, the Six Points line, and an extension of the Cultural District line all the way to Ridglea Village.
This is a rough map of the proposal:
The system would use modern on-street cars and is based on the Portland, Oregon system:
The City Council has endorsed the plan as well and is now examining funding. The plan is for the city to build the line and turn the daily operations over to The T.