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Jul 3, 2006 5:41 pm US/Central
DART Gets Grant For Light Rail Expansion
by Steve Pickett
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Rain is certainly in high demand in Dallas right now. But when a host of dignitaries, including a delegation of elected leaders, show up for a major announcement on the steps of a DART light rail station, rain is a pain.
Nevertheless, when the federal government is handing over $700 million dollars to the Regional Transit Agency, the officials take it in stride, and DART takes a substantial funding allotment, with no questions asked.
On the steps of Victory Station, just west of the American Airlines Center, Federal Transit Administration Deputy Sandra Bushue unveiled the largest transit funding grant the State of Texas has ever seen.
The money is geared to finance a 21-mile extension of DART's light rail service.
The "Green Line" will offer public transit rail service to residents living in the southeast and northwest sectors of the city.
"When I talk to people about why they don't ride light rail, they say it doesn't go where we want to go. Well, this starts to connect people with places they want to go," said Gary Thomas, DART.
The expansion will offer 16 stations, including stops at Fair Park, Deep Ellum, Baylor Medical Center, U.T. Southwestern and Dallas Love Field.
The total cost for the expansion will exceed $2 billion dollars.
The DART light rail system is now in its' tenth year of operation.
An average of 60,000 trips are taken on the train line daily. DART offers daily service in Plano, Garland, Richardson and Dallas.
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