Trinity Railway Express

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
200px
250px
An F59PH used on TRE
Overview
Type Commuter rail
Status Operating
Locale Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Termini Union Station, Dallas
T&P Station, Fort Worth
Stations 10
Daily ridership 8,200[1]
Operation
Opened December 30, 1996
Owner Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Fort Worth Transportation Authority
Operator(s) Herzog Transit Services
Technical
Line length 34 miles[2]
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification No
Route map

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are ADA accessible

DART Light Rail Union StationLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
DART Light Rail VictoryLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Medical/Market Center
South Irving Parking
West Irving Parking
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport CentrePort/DFW Airport Parking
Hurst/Bell Parking
Richland Hills Parking
Fort Worth ITC
T&P Station Parking
 Detailed diagram 
 Blue  to Ledbetter
 Red  to Westmoreland
Union StationAmtrak
 Blue  to Downtown Rowlett
 Red  to Parker Road
 Green  to Buckner
SH Spur 366 (Woodall Rogers Freeway)
Victory
 Green  to North Carrollton/Frankford
 Orange  to DFW Airport
Dallas North Tollway
Medical/Market CenterParking Flag of the Red Cross.svg
I-35E
Trinity River
Loop 12
E.C. Junction
Downtown Irving/Heritage CrossingParking
W.C. Junction
SH 356
Elevated section
West IrvingParking
Pres. George Bush Tpk.
Maintenance Facility
Irving
Tarrant
county border
CentrePort/DFW AirportParking
SH 360
Hurst/BellParking
I-820
Richland HillsParking
Trinity River
Dalwor Junction
I-35W
6th St. Junction
SH Spur 280
Fort Worth
Intermodal Transportation Center
Amtrak
T&P StationParking

The Trinity Railway Express (or TRE) is a commuter rail line in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T). Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and contractor Herzog Transit Services operates the line. The TRE began operating in December 1996.[3]

As of the fourth quarter of 2014, the TRE has an average weekday ridership of 8,200 passengers per day and is the fifteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the United States.[1] In 2014, the TRE carried 2,293,500 passengers.[1]

Before 2006, the TRE was typically shown as a green line on DART maps and therefore was sometimes referred to as the "Green Line," but this was not an official designation. In 2006, DART chose green as the color for its new light rail route, the Green Line. Since 2006, the TRE has been shown as a dark blue line on DART maps.

History

Named after the Trinity River, which flows between Fort Worth and Dallas, the TRE was launched on December 30, 1996, shortly after the inaugural service of Dallas' DART Light Rail system, operating from Union Station to the South Irving Station in Irving. On September 18, 2000, the line was extended to the Richland Hills Station and, for the first time, there was rail service available between downtown Dallas and DFW Airport. On 13 November 2000 the West Irving Station also opened. On December 3, 2001, the TRE was extended to its current terminus at the T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth.

Route

The eastern terminus of the TRE line is Dallas Union Station on the west side of downtown Dallas. The line runs northwest, past the American Airlines Center and Southwestern Medical Center, through Irving, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Hurst, and Richland Hills before ending with two stops in downtown Fort Worth (the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th and Jones Streets and the T&P Station on Throckmorton Street). There are a total of ten regular station stops, including a stop at Victory Station (which until the opening of DART's Green line in September 2009, was used only for special events). Not all trains are through trains - a number of trains either terminate or originate at the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station.

Fleet

 Class  Image  Type(s)   Top speed   Number   Routes operated   Built 
 mph   km/h 
EMD F59PH 100px Diesel Locomotive 110 177 7 Dallas-Fort Worth 1988-1994
EMD F59PHI TRE@FWITC.jpg Diesel Locomotive 110 177 2 Dallas-Fort Worth 2001
Budd Rail Diesel Car 100px Diesel Multiple Unit 85 137 13 Dallas-Fort Worth 1949-62
Bombardier BiLevel Coach 100px Passenger coach
Control Car
95 150 25 Dallas-Fort Worth 1976-77
2003
2007
2009

Diesel locomotives

TRE has a fleet of 9 locomotives.

There are seven EMD F59PH IV locomotives that were acquired from GO Transit.  The original numbers for these were #525, #527-528 and #565-568. These were overhauled in late 2010 by the Norfolk Southern Railroad and RELCO Locomotive to meet EPA standards and renumbered 120-126.[4]

There are two EMD F59PHI locomotives that were purchased from EMD. The numbers for these are #569 and #570.

Diesel multiple units

TRE owns 13 Budd Rail Diesel Cars, which were purchased from Via Rail Canada in 1993 and remanufactured by GEC Alsthom in Montreal.  In 2010-11 ten cars were leased to DCTA for the A-train, but all have been returned and are in storage at TRE shops in Irving, TX.

Coaches

Train consist

Information from the Trinity Railway Express Train Facts page

Each non-RDC train includes at least one locomotive unit and one bi-level cab car. Typically, one or two additional coach cars are included between the locomotive and cab car. Each cab car (and thus each train) has a restroom and passengers may move between cars during the trip. The trip from Union Station to T&P Station takes just over an hour, with scheduled trip times ranging from one hour, three minutes to one hour, eleven minutes. Track improvements are currently underway which should offer an improvement in travel times by double-tracking certain stations and sections of the route. Currently, portions of the route are single-track, requiring eastbound and westbound trains to meet only at certain points and requiring some eastbound trains to hold for 5–7 minutes to wait for a westbound train to get to the passing area.

Stations

Listed from east to west

Accidents and incidents

On February 15, 2010, a woman was killed after being struck by a TRE train. Her death was the second within a week, and the 11th death involving TRE trains since the service started to operate in December 1996.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. http://www.dart.org/aptaraildallas/TREFAQ.pdf
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links