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Oct 25, 2006 9:05 am US/Central
Dallas Adopts New DART Rail Line
Residents Say New Rail Will Decrease Neighborhood Appeal
by Jack Fink
(CBS 11 News)
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Residents packed a DART board meeting to voice their discord with the 2030 Transit plan that will run through North Dallas.
CBS 11 News
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Dubbed the Cotton Belt route, DART board members said this is the best way to go.
CBS 11 News
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Residents said they are unhappy because DART won't specify the technology.
CBS 11 News
The DART board unanimously approved a compromise plan on Tuesday was that will run through North Dallas and connect Plano, Wylie and DFW Airport.
Residents packed a DART board meeting to voice their discord with the 2030 Transit plan that will run through the Chalfont neighborhood.
Many worried the new route would ruin their quality of life.
"We're going to have a lot of move outs," long-time Chalfont resident Louis Schelling said. "The property values are going to go down and the move ins aren't going to be as nice as the move outs."
Dubbed the Cotton Belt route, DART board members said this is the best way to go.
"We have committed that this train – the Cotton Belt Express train – will look, smell, feel exactly like light rail or very similar to light rail," said Mark Enoch, DART Board Chairman.
Residents said they are unhappy because DART won't specify the technology.
Opponents had hoped DART would put light rail trains on the tracks, but at the meeting board members said that was too expensive.
DART rejected lowering the tracks,a s the residents and city requested. The DART board, however, did approve $50 million to reduce noise from the trains.
Ed Oakley, District 3 Dallas City Councilman, said perhaps the city will aprrove that plan.
"We as a city will have to make the decision if we go and look for other sources of funding if we want to truly accommodate the citizens there," explained Ed Oakley, District 3 Dallas City Councilman.
(CBS 11 News)
