Infra Insight Blog

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) are in the early phases of procuring a firm to enter into a Public Private Partnership to design, construct, operate, maintain and finance a cross regional passenger rail service known as the Cotton Belt Rail Line starting on or about 2013.

The Cotton Belt Rail Line PPP project is intended to provide regional rail connectivity for communities along the project corridor to Fort Worth, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Airport, the DART transit network, and major activity centers along the corridor.  This project connects passengers with the Trinity Railway Express service in downtown Fort Worth, and the DART Light Rail System via the Orange Line at DFW Airport, the Green Line in downtown Carrollton, and the Red Line in the Richardson/Plano area.  It also connects with the Addison Transit Center which provides extensive bus connectivity in the north central part of the DART Service Area.  A future connection in downtown Carrollton to the planned Denton County Transportation Authority passenger rail service between Denton and Carrollton, TX is also a possibility.  One of the objectives of the Cotton Belt Rail Line project is to provide a system that interacts seamlessly and efficiently with other transportation systems in the region.

On May 21, 2009 DART and The T issued a Request for Information to identify individuals and firms interested in a PPP for the Cotton Belt Commuter Rail Line and expect to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) by September 2009.  The deadline for filing a Statement of Interest was July 24, 2009. Visit DART's website or check back here for more info.