Dallas Area Rapid Transit will be celebrating four decades in operation on Wednesday following its recognition at the most recent Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting.
While initially established in 1983 as a replacement for the Dallas Transit System, the network has since expanded to serve 13 different cities, including Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, and Farmers Branch. The new DART Silver Line currently undergoing construction will extend the network even further, connecting Grapevine in Tarrant County to the system, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Michele Wong Krause, chair of DART’s board of directors, appeared at the meeting. She said that the organization has been proud to serve the county and its citizens and intends to celebrate its milestone with the theme “40 Proud 40 Forward,” noting its “tremendous” impact on development and economic progress in the Dallas area.
“40 Proud honors our accomplishments for the past four decades. 40 Forward looks ahead to what we will achieve. We are proud of how far we have come over the past 40 years,” said Krause during the meeting.
“DART’s charge now is to focus on the next 40 years. We have the opportunity to take DART into a new era,” she said.
Krause said that the organization is currently in the process of developing its strategic plan for the future. “Point A” of the new system includes security, safety, service, and cleanliness enhancements on current systems. “Point B” envisions the organization “as [a] key mobility and economic asset” in the region.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, crime aboard DART trains has been an ongoing issue in Downtown Dallas, so much so that DART is hiring dozens of private security guards to help maintain public safety amid a shortage of officers at DART and the Dallas Police Department.
DPD is short some 900 officers. A City analysis previously recommended about three officers for every 1,000 residents, putting an ideal staffing level for Dallas at approximately 4,000 officers.
Commissioner John Wiley Price voiced his support for DART but claimed that residents in his district have been “underserved” by DART bus services, alleging that 40% of his district (District 3) is still “transportation deprived.”
“We still have challenges,” said Price.
Price also noted that residents from his district who use DART’s bus system and want to reach Parkland Health take nearly three hours to get to the facility because of changing bus routes.
Nadine Lee, president and CEO of DART, said the organization is aware of issues in the southern portion of the county and said increasing bus service has been a “matter of resources.” Lee said the organization intends to work with the commissioners to address such issues and enhance service in the area.