In the next five years, Forth Worth, TX residents and visitors will be able to use TEX Rail to travel from one end of Tarrant County to the other. The Forth Worth Transportation Authority (The T) staff and its engineering consultants aim to begin operating the new line in 2016. In March, the FTA approved TEX Rail’s entrance into preliminary engineering, with “an overall New Starts criteria rating of ‘Medium-High’.” The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is making progress on creating a design and construction schedule and by early next year, they anticipate a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the project.
The TEX Rail is planned to be a double-track commuter rail line, with 14 stations, stretching 37 miles. It would run from southwest Fort Worth, through downtown Fort Worth, and northeast across Tarrant County to Grapevine and into the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. TEX Rail has the potential to not only increase mobility for local residents, but also generate new economic development opportunities. Completing TEX Rail is a top priority for Fort Worth and Tarrant County, areas that have some of the highest population growth and job creation figures in the country. The TEX Rail will serve the region in a variety of ways: creating new residential and commercial development, providing regional access to the system, providing service to large employment centers, and connecting passengers with a variety of transportation modes. Many stations are planned to be located in areas targeted for significant new residential, retail, industrial, and commercial development.
-Passenger Transport: The Source for Public Transportation News and Analysis, Volume 70, No. 11