Orange Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)


The Orange Line is a light rail line operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Dallas, Irving, Richardson and Plano, Texas.

Route

The line's current northwestern terminus is DFW Airport Station, located inside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The line proceeds southeast through Irving, providing service to the Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas, and the University of Dallas, before merging with the Green Line north of Bachman Station. The Orange Line shares the rest of its route with existing light rail lines, with stops along the Green Line from Bachman to Victory Station, through downtown Dallas on a corridor shared with the Green Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, and then northward along the Red Line corridor into Richardson and Plano.
Planned future Orange Line stations include Hidden Ridge Station between Irving Convention Center Station and North Lake College station, a DFW North Station loop, and an eastern extension down Scyene Road to Masters Drive.

History

Planning and construction

The Orange Line was planned as an extension to the DART Light Rail system at least as early as 2006, when DART's 2030 System Plan described a "Northwest Corridor" route with expected revenue service to both Love Field and DFW Airport by 2013.
On March 12, 2007, the City of Dallas officials and DART made an agreement to make Love Field Station a surface-level facility, concluding a long debate over whether or not to make it an underground station closer to the airport.
On December 5, 2007, the Dallas Morning News ran a story reporting that DART President Gary Thomas said a previous cost estimate of $988 million was too low. THe new cost estimate for the 14-mile project was $1.8 – $1.9 billion, he said. The $900 million overrun in costs caused considerable outrage among political leaders in Irving, Texas, the city the line runs through on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Irving leaders conducted an inquiry into the cost overruns. Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also inquiring about the project's cost overruns.
In February 2010 DART officials warned that the first two phases of the Orange Line might be delayed due to TXDOT problems along State Highway 114, which the Orange Line route follows. Utility relocation and road construction was expected to delay access to portions of the construction area where the rail line and highway intersect. DART estimated that the delay could push the opening of the Las Colinas extension from December 2011 to August 2012; however, DART also advised that it was determined to keep the original schedule and minimize any delays.
In June 2010, DART placed new Orange Line construction on indefinite hold due to declining revenue. However, on September 15, 2010, the agency said that due to cost savings and federal funds, the plans for the line have been revived.
On December 13, 2011, DART awarded a contract to design and build the Orange Line extension from Belt Line Road to DFW Airport, valued at about $150 million, with construction to start in early 2012 and an opening date of August 18, 2014, ahead of schedule.

Opening and operation

The Orange Line started operation on December 6, 2010, with weekday peak service from the Parker Road station to Bachman station on stations shared with DART's Red and Green lines. The first Orange Line-exclusive stations opened with the extension to Irving Convention Center on July 30, 2012, and two more were added on December 3, 2012. The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014. Hidden Ridge Station, which was planned with the rest of the Orange Line but deferred until further development justified its construction, will begin construction in summer 2019 and is expected to open to revenue service in May 2020.

Stations

Daily service

StationOther linesOpenedNotes
Parker Road2002Terminus for Red and Orange Lines
Downtown Plano2002
CityLine/Bush2002Formerly Bush Turnpike Station until March 14, 2016.
Galatyn Park2002
Arapaho Center2002
Spring Valley2002
LBJ/Central2002Terminus for Orange Line outside peak hours
Forest Lane2002
Walnut Hill2002
Park Lane1997
Lovers Lane1997
Mockingbird 1997Northernmost transfer for Blue Line
Cityplace/Uptown 2000Transfer to M-Line Trolley
Pearl/Arts District 1996Easternmost transfer for Green Line
St. Paul 1996Transfer to M-Line Trolley
Akard 1996
West End 1996Westernmost transfer station for Red and Blue Lines
Victory2004Transfer to Trinity Railway Express
Market Center2010
Southwestern Medical District/Parkland2010
Inwood/Love Center2010
Burbank2010
Bachman2010Westernmost transfer for Green Line
University of Dallas2012
Las Colinas Urban Center2012Transfer to Las Colinas APT
Irving Convention Center2012
North Lake College2012
Belt Line2012
DFW Airport2014Terminus; transfer to TEXRail at adjacent DFW Airport/Terminal B station

Special event service