Top U.S. Transit Official Signs $700 Million Agreement to Fund Construction of Dallas Northwest/Southeast "Green Line" Light Rail Extension

Almost 125,000 Dallas-area workers will soon have direct access to downtown Dallas as the result of an agreement between the Federal Transit Administration and Dallas Area Rapid Transit that will provide $700 million in federal funding to begin construction of the “Green Line,” the Northwest/Southeast Extension to the city’s light rail system.

“Well designed transit projects such as this one are a critical component of the congestion solution,” Bushue said.  “In addition to providing a vital link between jobs and workers, the Green Line will help ease gridlock in this city.”
 
The 21-mile project consists of two segments that extend northwest and southeast from the Dallas central business district.  The northwest segment will extend 10.9 miles from Victory Station to the city of Farmers Branch.  The southeast segment will extend 10.1 miles from the Transitway Mall in the Dallas Central Business District to Buckner Boulevard.

Bushue was joined by DART officials, members of the congressional delegation, and local leaders to sign a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA), which gives DART the assurance that the federal government will provide its share—or half—of the $1.4-billion project over a seven-year period. 

The project will add 16 new stations, 2,700 parking spaces, 10 park-and-ride lots, and 18 new high capacity light rail vehicles. An additional 38 existing light rail vehicles will be redesigned to increase passenger capacity. 

The Green Line is scheduled to open in June 2011.  Almost 46,000 average weekday boardings are anticipated by 2025.