Dallas may have streetcars within five years

City Council moving forward

Steve Hawley, Oct 22, 09.

The Dallas City Council is pushing for an aggressive plan to build a downtown streetcar line within the next five years, according to the Dallas Morning News.

City Council hopes to get state and federal funding for the project, but leaders appear ready to finance it using local bonds if necessary. However, the article notes that it is unclear if the city can raise enough money to complete the estimated $80 million construction project. The city has received $10 million from the Regional Transportation Council - the equivalent of the H-GAC Transportation Policy Council - to design the streetcar line, but no money to build it.

It will not take long to build the line, but the article says that designing and building the streetcars will take about three years. The article states, “Council members expect a streetcar line would significantly improve property values around its stops.”

If constructed, the line would be owned by the city but operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which runs the city’s light rail system.

(Photo credit: cacophony)