Blue Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

Blue Line
Southbound Blue Line train at Akard Station
Overview
Type	light rail
System	Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Status	operational
Locale	Dallas, Texas
Termini	Downtown Garland (north) Ledbetter (south)
Stations	21
Operation
Opened	January 1997
Owner	DART
Operator(s)	DART
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	overhead catenary
Highest elevation	at grade, elevated, underground
Route map [v · Legend All stations have step-free access   Downtown Rowlett (December 2012) Downtown Garland Forest/Jupiter LBJ/Skillman Interstate 635 Lake Highlands White Rock Red Line to Parker Road Mockingbird Station Knox-Henderson (deferred) Cityplace Deep Ellum (special event only) Baylor Medical Center (special event only) Fair Park (special event only) Pearl St. Paul Akard West End Victory (special event only) Green Line to North Carrollton/Frankford; Orange Line to DFW Airport Trinity Railway Express to T&P Station Union Station Convention Center Interstate 30 Cedars DART South Maintenance Facility Trinity River 8th & Corinth Red Line to Westmoreland Morrell Illinois Kiest VA Medical Center Ledbetter Camp Wisdom (2018) University of North Texas at Dallas (2018) Expansion to Dallas Southport Center (future)

Passengers at White Rock Station

The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas (USA), operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the Red Line, it is one of the original modern rail lines in Dallas.

The southern terminus of the line is currently at Ledbetter Station in south Dallas at Lancaster Road, just south of Ledbetter Drive (Loop 12). The line runs north, under the Dallas Convention Center and through downtown Dallas. After leaving Mockingbird Station, the line diverts to the northeast towards White Rock Lake. The line then goes north and then east into Garland, finally ending at the Downtown Garland Station at Walnut and Fifth Streets.

The rail line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Illinois Station to Pearl Station in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter Station and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird Station, in preparation for the future extension to Garland.

On 24 September 2001, the Blue Line extended to White Rock Station, just northwest of White Rock Lake. On 6 May 2002, the Blue Line was extended to the LBJ/Skillman Station, just beyond LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635). On 18 November 2002, the Blue Line was again extended to its current terminus at the Downtown Garland Station in downtown Garland.

Current plans for the Blue Line call for the further extension through Garland into Rowlett, connecting to the Rowlett Park & Ride by December 2012.^[1]

DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, approved in October 2006, calls for the Blue Line to be extended south beyond Ledbetter Station to Interstate 20, near Bonnie View Road and the SouthPort Intermodal Terminal. The plan also includes a new Lake Highlands station near Skillman Street and Kingsley Road.^[2]

Stations

Daily Service

Listed from north to south

• Downtown Garland Station in Garland
• Forest/Jupiter Station in Garland
• LBJ/Skillman Station in Lake Highlands, Dallas
• White Rock Station in East Dallas
• Mockingbird Station in East Dallas (Also served by Red Line)
• Cityplace Station in Cityplace, Oak Lawn, Dallas (Also served by Red Line)
• Pearl Station in the City Center District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line, Green Line, and Orange Line)
• St. Paul Station in the City Center District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line, Green Line, and Orange Line)
• Akard Station in the City Center District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line, Green Line, and Orange Line)
• West End Station in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line, Green Line, and Orange Line)
• Union Station in the Reunion District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line, Trinity Railway Express, Amtrak)
• Convention Center Station in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas (Also served by Red Line)
• Cedars Station in the Cedars neighborhood of south Dallas (Also served by Red Line)
• 8th & Corinth Station in Oak Cliff, Dallas (Also served by Red Line)
• Morrell Station in Oak Cliff, Dallas
• Illinois Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas
• Kiest Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas
• VA Medical Center Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas
• Ledbetter Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas

Special Event Service

• Deep Ellum Station (Also served by Green Line, Orange Line)
• Baylor University Medical Center Station (Also served by Blue Line, Orange Line)
• Fair Park Station (Also served by Green Line, Orange Line)
• Victory Station (Also served by Green Line, Blue Line, Orange Line)

Future Service

• Downtown Rowlett Station (future) in Rowlett (December 2012)
• Camp Wisdom Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas(2018)
• University of North Texas at Dallas Station in South Oak Cliff, Dallas (2018)

Deferred

• Knox-Henderson Station in Uptown

References

1. ^ Dallas Area Rapid Transit - DART Expansion Plans. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
2. ^ The Dallas Morning News - DART green-lights 40 miles of new rail. Originally published 25 October 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2006.

External links

Dallas portal

• Map of the Blue Line (to scale)
• Full DART System Map