Passenger Trains > TEXRail will start Jan 10 FRA gives a green light

Trinity Metro has received word from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that the entire 27-mile TEXRail route has been approved for passenger service. We expect to begin full service from the T&P Station to DFW Airport’s Terminal B on Thursday, Jan. 10.

Neat!  Any photos of the equipment?

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Neat!  Any photos of the equipment?

Probably nothing you haven't seen before - see here :

http://ridetrinitymetro.org/

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Neat!  Any photos of the equipment?

Someone posted nice photos the other day:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4698388,4698440#msg-4698440

I haven't been paying attention to what was going on in Texas. 

Did Ft. Worth want something which would serve DFW Airport better and more directly than Trinity Railway Express?

Any relationship between the two? Shared trackage?

Appreciate it.

TEX Rail is on former Cotton Belt R/W Only share is a mile or so in Ft Worth, between the former T&UP station and Transportion teriminal.

It will serve stations north of TRE route and yes provide direct service to Dallas Airport.

A bonus, if I understand correctly, is that for $12.00 can purchase a ticket on TEX Rail, that is good for a system transfer to DART at the airport station, .  So for many folks, this seems more convienent then using TRE to Dallas and transfer.

Schedules are 7 days, not 6 as on TRE and operate later in the evening.  Needs more frequient schedules, and understand that this will come later.

DART is going out to contract to build a smiliar service northeast from the airport terninal, using more Cotton Belt R/W which should increase ridership.

mundo Wrote:
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> DART is going out to contract to build a smiliar
> service northeast from the airport terninal, using
> more Cotton Belt R/W which should increase
> ridership.

Thank you mundo. Very interesting. I would have thought that TRE would have made a bigger play for the airport service in the first place.

So what will become of TRE?

Existing or newly built tracks?  If existiing, whose were they?
Thanks!
Andy

Since this service uses the Amtrak Station as one of its stops in Ft. Worth, I imagine the BNSF Ft. Worth Sub is going to be a lot busier.

After it leaves downtown, where does it leave the Ft. Worth Sub to gain its own route to DFW airport?

sums007 Wrote:
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> Since this service uses the Amtrak Station as one
> of its stops in Ft. Worth, I imagine the BNSF Ft.
> Worth Sub is going to be a lot busier.
>
> After it leaves downtown, where does it leave the
> Ft. Worth Sub to gain its own route to DFW
> airport?

BNSF is not involved at all in the new TexRail operation.  Leaving the downtown Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC), it goes through the "hole in the wall" just like the TRE trains, then heads north along the former Rock Island R/W to around Tower 60, then continues on or along the former Cotton Belt R/W to Grapevine and DFW airport (not Dallas Airport - that would be Love Field).  The TRE will continue to operate as it has, it is the main service between Dallas and Fort Worth.  I have not heard anything about any changes to the bus connection to DFW airport that connects with TRE trains at Centerport station.

czephyr17 Wrote:
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> sums007 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Since this service uses the Amtrak Station as
> one
> > of its stops in Ft. Worth, I imagine the BNSF
> Ft.
> > Worth Sub is going to be a lot busier.
> >
> > After it leaves downtown, where does it leave
> the
> > Ft. Worth Sub to gain its own route to DFW
> > airport?
>
> BNSF is not involved at all in the new TexRail
> operation.  Leaving the downtown Intermodal
> Transportation Center (ITC), it goes through the
> "hole in the wall" just like the TRE trains, then
> heads north along the former Rock Island R/W to
> around Tower 60, then continues on or along the
> former Cotton Belt R/W to Grapevine and DFW
> airport (not Dallas Airport - that would be Love
> Field).  The TRE will continue to operate as it
> has, it is the main service between Dallas and
> Fort Worth.  I have not heard anything about any
> changes to the bus connection to DFW airport that
> connects with TRE trains at Centerport station.

Thanks for the response, CZ.  I must be missing something.  TRE leaves the T& P Station and heads for the Ft. Worth Intermodal station.  To do that, I thought TRE had to enter the BNSF Ft. Worth Sub tracks at Tower 55,  Then going east, they get onto their own tracks to head towards Dallas, as does Amtrak.  I believe that TexRail will also use the same ROW between the T&P station and Ft. Worth Intermodal, correct?  So are you saying that the BNSF dispatcher does not control the moves between Tower 55 and Ft. Worth Intermodal?

TRE has its own track between the two Ft. Worth stations. I don't think it has to enter BNSF or deal with tower 55 at all.

Correct,  Tower 55 or BNSF are not involved..

czephyr17 Wrote:
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> BNSF is not involved at all in the new TexRail operation.  Leaving the downtown Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC), it goes through the "hole in the wall" just like the TRE trains, then
> heads north along the former Rock Island R/W to around Tower 60, then continues on or along the former Cotton Belt R/W to Grapevine and DFW airport ...  

Correct. To avoid all of those railroad junctions, yards, and highway overpasses, the TEXRail line resembles a roller coaster in several places - especially northeast of downtown Fort Worth.

> I have not heard anything about any changes to the bus connection to DFW airport that connects with TRE trains at Centerport station.

The "Trinity Rail" shuttle bus was scheduled to be discontinued on the day TEXRail opened. However it would have left many airport and airline employees in the Centreport area without any any transit service to the airport. After a city concilman was rumored to have gotten involved, the airport removed the discontinuation notices and Trinity Metro agreed to take over the service as soon as they can acquire some additional 24-seat shuttle vans.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/19 06:08 by SAAP.

SAAP Wrote:
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> czephyr17 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BNSF is not involved at all in the new TexRail
> operation.  Leaving the downtown Intermodal
> Transportation Center (ITC), it goes through the
> "hole in the wall" just like the TRE trains, then
> > heads north along the former Rock Island R/W to
> around Tower 60, then continues on or along the
> former Cotton Belt R/W to Grapevine and DFW
> airport ...  
>
> Correct. To avoid all of those railroad
> junctions, yards, and highway overpasses, the
> TEXRail line resembles a roller coaster in several
> places - especially northeast of downtown Fort
> Worth.
>
> > I have not heard anything about any changes to
> the bus connection to DFW airport that connects
> with TRE trains at Centerport station.
>
> The "Trinity Rail" shuttle bus was scheduled to be
> discontinued on the day TEXRail opened.
> However it would have left the many airport and
> airline employees in the Centreport area without
> any any transit service to the airport. After a
> city concilman was rumored to have gotten
> involved, the airport removed the discontinuation
> notices and Trinity Metro agreed to take over the
> service as soon as they can acquire some
> additional 24-seat shuttle vans.
>  

Thanks.  Then I assume TRE is not under the direction of the BNSF dispatcher at any point either.

sums007 Wrote:

> >  
>
> Thanks.  Then I assume TRE is not under the
> direction of the BNSF dispatcher at any point
> either.

Correct.  TRE has its own dispatcher who dispatches not only TRE trains, but also BNSF, UP, Amtrak and DGNO trains using rights on TRE trackage.

czephyr17 Wrote:
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> sums007 Wrote:
>
> > >  
> >
> > Thanks.  Then I assume TRE is not under the
> > direction of the BNSF dispatcher at any point
> > either.
>
> Correct.  TRE has its own dispatcher who
> dispatches not only TRE trains, but also BNSF, UP,
> Amtrak and DGNO trains using rights on TRE
> trackage.

Thank you CZ.