Orange Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

Orange Line
Overview
Status	Operating
Owner	DART
Termini	Parker Road (north) DFW Airport (west)
Stations	29
Service
Type	Light rail
System	DART Light Rail
Operator(s)	DART
History
Opened	December 6, 2010
Last extension	August 18, 2014
Technical
Line length	14.0 mi (22.5 km)
Track length	37 mi (60 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Construction of the Irving Convention Center near the Irving Convention Center Station

v t DART Orange Line
Legend
DFW Airport Terminal A TEXRail to T&P Station Belt Line Pres. George Bush Turnpike Dallas College North Lake Campus Hidden Ridge SH 114 Irving Convention Center Las Colinas Urban Center South Las Colinas (planned) University of Dallas Loop 12 Loop 12 (planned) Trinity River I-35E Spur 482 Green Line to North Carrollton/Frankford Bachman Burbank West Mockingbird Lane Inwood/Love Field Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Market Center Trinity Railway Express to T&P Station Dallas North Tollway Victory Trinity Railway Express to Union Station Blue Line to Ledbetter Red Line to Westmoreland West End Akard St. Paul Pearl/Arts District Green Line to Buckner Cityplace/Uptown Knox–Henderson (unfinished; abandoned) Mockingbird Blue Line to Downtown Rowlett Lovers Lane Park Lane Walnut Hill White Rock Creek Forest Lane LBJ/Central I-635 Spring Valley Arapaho Center Galatyn Park Silver Line to DFW Airport (2024) CityLine/Bush Pres. George Bush Turnpike 12th Street (planned) Downtown Plano Parker Road
All stations have step-free access

The Orange Line (labeled as the Purple Line on maps prior to 2006) is a 37-mile-long (60 km) light rail line operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Dallas, Irving, Richardson and Plano, Texas.

Route[]

A Parker Road-bound Orange Train near Market Center

The line's current northwestern terminus is DFW Airport Station, located inside Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.^[1] The line proceeds southeast through Irving, providing service to the Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas, and the University of Dallas, before merging with the Green Line north of Bachman Station. The Orange Line shares the rest of its route with existing light rail lines, with stops along the Green Line from Bachman to Victory Station, through downtown Dallas on a corridor shared with the Green Line, Blue Line, and Red Line, and then northward along the Red Line corridor into Richardson and Plano.

Planned future Orange Line stations include Hidden Ridge Station between Irving Convention Center Station and North Lake College station,^[2] a DFW North Station loop,^[3] and an eastern extension down Scyene Road to Masters Drive (previously planned as a Green Line expansion).^[4]

History[]

Planning and construction[]

The Orange Line was planned as an extension to the DART Light Rail system at least as early as 2006, when DART's 2030 System Plan described a "Northwest Corridor" route with expected revenue service to both Love Field and DFW Airport by 2013.^[4]

On March 12, 2007, the City of Dallas officials and DART made an agreement to make Love Field Station a surface-level facility, concluding a long debate over whether or not to make it an underground station closer to the airport.^{[5][better source needed][6]}

On December 5, 2007, the Dallas Morning News ran a story reporting that DART President Gary Thomas said a previous cost estimate of $988 million was too low. The new cost estimate for the 14-mile project was $1.8 – $1.9 billion, he said.^[7] The $900 million overrun in costs caused considerable outrage among political leaders^[8] in Irving, Texas, the city the line runs through on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Irving leaders conducted an inquiry into the cost overruns.^[9] Texas State Representative Linda Harper Brown sent an official letter to Mr. Thomas also inquiring about the project's cost overruns.^[10]

In February 2010 DART officials warned that the first two phases of the Orange Line might be delayed due to TXDOT problems along State Highway 114, which the Orange Line route follows. Utility relocation and road construction was expected to delay access to portions of the construction area where the rail line and highway intersect. DART estimated that the delay could push the opening of the Las Colinas extension from December 2011 to August 2012; however, DART also advised that it was determined to keep the original schedule and minimize any delays.^[11][2]

In June 2010, DART placed new Orange Line construction on indefinite hold due to declining revenue. However, on September 15, 2010, the agency said that due to cost savings and federal funds, the plans for the line have been revived.^[12]

On December 13, 2011, DART awarded a contract to design and build the Orange Line extension from Belt Line Road to DFW Airport, valued at about $150 million, with construction to start in early 2012 and an opening date of August 18, 2014, ahead of schedule.^[13]

Opening and operation[]

The Orange Line started operation on December 6, 2010, with weekday peak service from the Parker Road station to Bachman station on stations shared with DART's Red and Green lines. The first Orange Line-exclusive stations opened with the extension to Irving Convention Center on July 30, 2012,^[14] and two more were added on December 3, 2012.^[15] The current northwestern terminus, located at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, opened on August 18, 2014.^[1] Hidden Ridge Station, which was planned with the rest of the Orange Line but deferred until further development justified its construction, opened to revenue service on April 12, 2021.^[16]

Future plans[]

The Downtown Dallas segment of the route is planned to be rerouted off of the transit mall and run via a new subway tunnel between Victory and Deep Ellum. The D2 Subway is planned to be implemented in 2028 and will feature four new stations served by the Orange Line along the route.

Stations[]

Daily service[]

Listed from Northeast to Northwest. Peak-hour only service is highlighted

Station	Other lines	Opened	Notes
DFW Airport Terminal A		August 18, 2014	Terminus; transfer to TEXRail at adjacent DFW Airport/Terminal B station
Belt Line		December 3, 2012
North Lake College
Hidden Ridge		April 12, 2021
Irving Convention Center		July 30, 2012
Las Colinas Urban Center			Transfer to Las Colinas APT
University of Dallas
Bachman		December 6, 2010	Westernmost transfer for Green Line
Burbank
Inwood/Love Field
Southwestern Medical District/ Parkland
Market Center
Victory		November 13, 2004	Transfer to Trinity Railway Express
West End		June 14, 1996	Westernmost transfer station for Red and Blue Lines
Akard
St. Paul			Transfer to M-Line Trolley (one block north)
Pearl/Arts District			Easternmost transfer for Green Line
Cityplace/Uptown		December 18, 2000	Transfer to M-Line Trolley
SMU/Mockingbird		January 10, 1997	Northernmost transfer for Blue Line
Lovers Lane
Park Lane
Walnut Hill		July 1, 2002
Forest Lane
LBJ/Central			Terminus for Orange Line outside peak hours
Spring Valley
Arapaho Center
Galatyn Park
CityLine/Bush		December 9, 2002	Formerly Bush Turnpike Station until March 14, 2016. Planned Silver Line transfer station
Downtown Plano
Parker Road			Terminus for Red (full-time) and Orange Lines (peak-hour)

Special event service[]

Listed from East to West

• Lawnview (Also served by the Green Line)
• Hatcher (Also served by the Green Line)
• MLK, Jr. (Also served by the Green Line)
• Fair Park (Also served by the Green Line)
• Baylor University Medical Center (Also served by the Green Line)
• Deep Ellum (Also served by the Green Line)

Future/deferred[]

• Loop 12 station (deferred)
• South Las Colinas station (deferred)
• DFW North station (future branch)

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

• Full DART System Map
• DART Expansion Plans
• DART Orange Line Expansion Information