Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) Silver Line trains are now up and running on local tracks for the first time, as the agency begins testing the new vehicles. The agency worked with Trinity Metro, its partner on the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), to secure track availability to exercise the vehicles and test train operators and vehicle systems.
The Silver Line trains now run full routes, following the same travel path as the TRE with brief stops at each of its stations..
“It's exciting for everyone associated with this project because this means we’re that much closer to opening for revenue service and having passengers on these new trains,” said Anthony Fuller, vice president of Silver Line maintenance and operation at DART. “The goal is to operate these vehicles and ensure that all the systems are operating as they should while running, stopping and starting on the tracks. Much like a new car before it’s put it on the lot, we want to make sure that everything is ready to go starting Day One for our customers.”
The Silver Line trains will run on the TRE service route every Sunday for the next few weeks. The test runs will only be on Sunday since there is no regular TRE service on that day of the week. This will only be a test run; no passengers will be allowed to board the Silver Line trains at any of the TRE stations.
DART is more than 60 percent complete with the Silver Line project overall and will begin to fully test the trains in segments on the Silver Line tracks later this summer. Segmented testing, which describes testing of the train and operating systems on a specific segment of the track on the project, is set to begin in late July or early August on the segment that runs between the Shiloh Road Station in Plano, Texas, and CityLine/Bush Station in Richardson.
Testing will continue in the fall between the Knoll Trail Station in Dallas and Terminal B Station at DFW Airport. Segmented testing will wrap up in early 2025, with Silver Line trains running between the CityLine/Bush and Knoll Trail stations.
DART notes segmented testing is necessary to ensure each portion of track along the alignment functions as needed and the vehicle responds accordingly. End-to-end testing of the entire Silver Line corridor is planned for summer of 2025.
Designed by Swiss manufacturer Stadler and assembled in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Silver Line vehicles are powered by electric diesel multiple-unit-powered (DMU) engines that meet strict Environmental Protection Agency standards. With seating for 235 passengers and updated amenities like multidirectional seats, overhead storage and internal CCTV cameras, DART says the trains are similar to Trinity Metro’s TexRail vehicles and will provide a quiet ride with passenger safety and comfort.
The DART Silver Line is a 26-mile commuter rail that traverses seven north Texas cities (Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, Plano) between DFW Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano. The regional rail alignment crosses three counties (Collin, Dallas and Tarrant) and will provide service to improve mobility and accessibility across the northern portion of the DART service area. DART Silver Line revenue service is scheduled to begin between late 2025 to early 2026.
