Trinity Railway Express
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The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is a commuter rail service in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Texas, United States. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Trinity Metro. Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and contractor Herzog Transit Services operates the line. The TRE began operating in December 1996.[3][4]
In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,163,600, or about 4,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023, making it the
Before 2006, the TRE was typically shown as a green line on DART maps and therefore was sometimes referred to as the "Green Line," but this was not an official designation. In 2006, DART chose green as the color for its new light rail route, the Green Line. Since 2006, the TRE has been shown as a dark blue line on DART maps.
History
Named after the
Service initially operated only in weekday rush hours, but midday and evening service was added in December 1997,[6] and Saturday service was added in December 1998.[6][7]
On September 18, 2000, the line was extended to the suburb of
Route
The eastern terminus of the TRE route is Dallas Union Station on the west side of downtown Dallas. From there, the line runs northwest parallel to Interstate 35E, passing American Airlines Center and Dallas Market Center before turning west. The line crosses the Elm Fork of the Trinity River into Irving, passing through Irving's historic downtown district. The train continues west to the Dallas County/Tarrant County border, passing under the President George Bush Turnpike.
While crossing into Tarrant County, the line passes about four miles south of
According to current TRE schedules, a one-way trip in either direction takes approximately 1 hour and 2 minutes.[10]
Service
TRE provides service six days a week from 4 AM (5 AM on Saturdays) to midnight (1 AM on Fridays). Trains are scheduled to arrive once every hour, or once every half-hour on weekdays during peak periods (4 to 9 AM and 2 to 7 PM).[10] TRE does not provide service on Sundays except during the State Fair of Texas, in which case a Saturday schedule is used.
The TRE service yard is located in Irving between West Irving and CentrePort/DFW. During the start and end of both service time and peak periods, some trains will start or end at one of these stations.[10]
TRE Link
Because TRE passes south of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the airport is serviced via a shuttle bus that runs between CentrePort/DFW and the airport's Terminal B. The Terminal B stop provides a connection to TEXRail via a pedestrian path. Branded as TRE Link and operated by Trinity Metro, the shuttle runs every 20-40 minutes during TRE operating hours.[11]
Rolling Stock
Class | Image | Type(s) | Top speed | Number | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | |||||
EMD F40PH | Diesel Locomotive
|
110 | 177 | 2 | 1981–1985 | |
EMD F59PH | Diesel Locomotive
|
110 | 177 | 7 | 1988–1994
Late 2010 (Overhaul) | |
EMD F59PHI
|
Diesel Locomotive
|
110 | 177 | 2 | 2001 | |
Bombardier BiLevel Coach | Cab Car
|
95 | 150 | 25 | 1976–77 2003 2007 2009 | |
Former fleet | ||||||
Budd Rail Diesel Car, type RDC-1[12] |
Diesel Multiple Unit
|
85[12] | 137 | 13 | 1954–58 |
Diesel locomotives
TRE has a fleet of 11 locomotives.
- EMD F59PH IV (1994)
There are seven EMD F59PH IV locomotives that were acquired from GO Transit. The original numbers for these were #525, #527–528 and #565–568. These were overhauled in late 2010 by the
- EMD F59PHI(2001)
There are two EMD F59PHI locomotives that were purchased from EMD. The numbers for these are #569 and #570.
- EMD F40PH (2022)
TRE acquired 2 ex-Amtrak F40PHs No. 270 and 274 from Progress Rail in Late 2021 and Delivered in January 2022. They are numbered 130 and 131.
- Siemens Charger (2026)
- Announced in 2024 to be delivered in 2026
Coaches
- Bombardier Transportation and Hawker Siddeley bi-level cabs and coaches
1000-1001 built 1983 (now coaches 1048-1049) 1002-1003 built 2003 1004-1009 built 2007
Former fleet
Until 2011, the TRE fleet included
Train consist
Each train includes at least one locomotive unit and one bi-level cab car. Typically, one or two additional coach cars are included between the locomotive and cab car. Each cab car (and thus each train) has a restroom and passengers may move between cars during the trip. The trip from Union Station to T&P Station takes just over an hour, with scheduled trip times ranging from one hour, three minutes to one hour, eleven minutes. Track improvements are currently[when?] underway which should offer an improvement in travel times by double-tracking certain stations and sections of the route. Currently,[when?] portions of the route are single-track, requiring eastbound and westbound trains to meet only at certain points and requiring some eastbound trains to hold for 5–7 minutes to wait for a westbound train to get to the passing area.
Stations
Station | Parking | Municipality | Points of interest and major connections |
---|---|---|---|
T&P Station | Fort Worth | Trinity Metro: TEXRail | |
Fort Worth Central Station | Serves Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth Water Gardens, Sundance Square Trinity Metro: TEXRail Amtrak: Heartland Flyer Texas Eagle | ||
Trinity Lakes | Serves Trinity Lakes mixed-use transit-oriented development | ||
Bell | Hurst[a] | Serves Bell Textron plant | |
CentrePort/DFW Airport | Fort Worth | Serves TRE Link shuttle | |
West Irving | Irving | ||
Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing | |||
Medical/Market Center | Dallas | Serves Parkland Memorial Hospital, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Children's Medical Center Dallas, Dallas Market Center | |
Victory | Serves American Airlines Center DART Light Rail: Green Line Orange Line | ||
Union Station | Serves Reunion Tower, Dealey Plaza DART Light Rail: Blue Line Red Line Amtrak: Texas Eagle |
- ^ Bell station is located in Fort Worth but uses a Hurst postal code.
Gallery
-
TRE train at South Irving station
-
The TRE stops at the historic T&P Station in Fort Worth
-
Trinity Railway Express train pulling into Fort Worth Central Station
References
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Dickson, Gordon (November 26, 2016). "20 years later, there's plenty to love (and not) about the TRE". Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Mueller, Sarah (February 16, 2010). "Dallas woman killed Monday by TRE train identified". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Cumbie, Jim (Spring 1997). "Dallas—Phase 2". The New Electric Railway Journal. pp. 12–13.
- ^ a b c d e Van Hattem, Matt (July 2, 2006). "Trinity Railway Express: The commuter railroad linking Dallas and Fort Worth". Trains. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ Wolinsky, Julian (March 1999). "Commuter/Transit [regular monthly news section]". RailNews. p. 30.
- ^ "Trinity Lakes Station opens Feb. 19". Trinity Metro. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "Trinity Lakes Station". Trinity Railway Express. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "All TRE Schedules - 11/2023" (PDF). Trinity Railway Express. Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro.
- ^ "TRE Link Schedule - September 2023" (PDF). Trinity Metro. September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Wallace, Rich (March 1997). "Dallas Welcomes Trinity Commuter Railway". RailNews. p. 13. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ "Trinity Railway Express receives upgraded F59PHs". Trains Magazine. December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ Metroplex mover Trains May 1999 pages 50-52
- ^ Wallace, Rich (May 1997). "Questions and Answers for Dallas' Commuter Rail". RailNews. pp. 11–12. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Fancher, Julie (April 14, 2017). "DART is selling these cool vintage railcars". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Vermont solar panel company buys RDCs". Trains. April 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Hall, C.B. (August 15, 2017). "AllEarth's commuter rail Budd cars pull into Vermont". Vermont Business Magazine. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ISSN 1460-8324.