For publicity purposes, DART light rail is divided into eight corridors,[1] of which the Orange Line serves four.[2][3][4][5]
On average, an end-to-end trip on the line will take 76 minutes (if the eastern terminus is LBJ/Central) or 92 minutes (if the eastern terminus is Parker Road).[6]
Irving/DFW Corridor
The Irving/DFW Corridor, which has a length of 14 miles (23 km),[2] is the only portion of the Orange Line that is not shared with other DART light rail lines.
Alongside the Green Line, the Orange Line enters Downtown Dallas at Victory Park. After stopping at American Airlines Center, the Orange Line turns east onto Pacific Avenue, which it shares with all other DART lines. It follows Pacific Avenue, and later Bryan Street, to the east side of downtown.
During non-peak hours, the line terminates at LBJ/Central station, just south of Interstate 635. A pocket track north of I-635 is used to move trains from eastbound to westbound service.
When individual trains are entering or exiting service, special termini near DART's two rail yards are used. Trains entering or leaving the Northwest Rail Operating Facility terminate at Bachman station, which is directly south of the yard. Trains entering or leaving the Central Rail Operating Facility will divert from Pearl/Arts District to the southern Green Line, stopping at Deep Ellum and Baylor University Medical Center before terminating at Fair Park.[8][9]
Light rail transit in the Las Colinas area was first studied in 2000 as part of DART's Northwest Corridor study. The study proposed two lines, which evolved into the northern and western segments of the modern-day Green Line and Orange Line, respectively.[10] In 2006, the two lines (with their current colors) were incorporated into DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, with revenue service to D/FW Airport expected in 2013.[11]
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.[12][better source needed][13]
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.[14] The $900 million overrun in costs caused considerable outrage among political leaders[15] 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.[16] Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also inquiring about the project's cost overruns.[17]
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.[18][19]
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.[20]
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.[21]
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,[22] and two more were added on December 3, 2012.[23] The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014.[7]Hidden Ridge Station, which was planned with the rest of the Orange Line but deferred until further development justified its construction, opened to revenue service on April 12, 2021.[24]
Extension and rerouting proposals
When the extension to the airport was created, the western terminus of the proposed Cotton Belt Corridor (now the Silver Line) was DFW Airport North. To enable transfers to the airport, a secondary extension would add DFW Airport North to the Orange Line between DFW Airport Terminal A and Belt Line. However, by the time the Corridor was approved in 2018, expansions to SH-114 and SH-121 rendered this extension infeasible. Instead, the Silver Line was extended south to DFW Airport Terminal B by sharing tracks with TEXRail.[25]
The D2 Subway project would reroute the line's Downtown Dallas segment into a new subway tunnel between Victory and Deep Ellum with four new underground stations. The project was originally set for completion in 2028 but is currently on hiatus.
Stations
Daily service
Listed from Northeast to Northwest. Peak-hour only service is highlighted.
The original Northwest Corridor plan included two stations which were deferred pending future development of their surrounding sites.[26] To date, neither station has been constructed. While not listed as such in the original plan, Hidden Ridge station was also deferred until its opening in 2021.
Loop 12 station would be located at the intersection of Loop 12 and SH 114 near the former site of Texas Stadium.[26] The city of Irving has established a redevelopment plan for the site which includes the station.[27]
