| Tony Hartzel: Changes along rail line welcomed 01/21/2001 By / The Dallas Morning News More rail cars and bigger parking lots are on the way for users of the Trinity Railway Express.
And for many riders, the much-needed changes can't come soon enough.
Commuters trudging back to work after the holidays are using the commuter rail line in almost record numbers, leading to standing-room-only trains and cars parked in muddy fields.
According to the railway, afternoon trains with 500 seats have carried up to 650 passengers. And in recent weeks, average weekday ridership has reached 4,500 people, double the railway's pre-expansion ridership.
"It's terrible," said Velda Powers, a Colleyville resident who tried the train after it began running into Tarrant County in September. "If you're not there for a 7 o'clock train, you have to park in the dirt."
Recent rains have turned the dirt to mud, promping the Fort Worth Transportation Authority to have a tow truck on call.
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday on more than $1 million worth of parking lot expansions at the Richland Hills and CentrePort stations. When finished in May, the Richland Hills lot will grow from 178 to 318 spaces, and the CentrePort lot will grow from 268 to 408.
"At the time we started, there were going to be far fewer trains to CentrePort than there are now," said Paul Byrne, intermodal project manager. "We hope to complete the parking lots in significantly less time, but weather will be a factor."
Until the lots are completed, the authority – which is also known as The T – encourages riders to park at either the Hurst/Bell station five miles to the west or the West Irving station two miles to the east of the CentrePort station. Both have about 200 open spaces.
The rail service's popularity has grown steadily since a 10-mile line from downtown Dallas to south Irving began in December 1996. Four stations and 17 miles of track were added in September. The railway, which is jointly owned by The T and Dallas Area Rapid Transit, is expected to extend in October to two stations in downtown Fort Worth.
"There have been days that it was standing room only. They totally underestimated ridership in the western part of town," Ms. Powers said. Mr. Byrne responded: "A public authority has to be very diligent about not overestimating demand. And the more service we provide, the more convenient it is."
Four more bilevel cars, each able to carry 130 passengers, should be delivered in February and two more in March. Officials had expected the rail cars to be here in December, but Amtrak has taken longer than expected to refurbish them, said Bonnie Duhr-Murphy, director of the Trinity Railway Express for DART.
Once on site, the cars may not be immediately available for use because of adjustments needed to make them compatible with existing equipment.
Amtrak has loaned the railway some of its rail cars to use in the interim.
The railway began using a refurbished bilevel rail car last week to give passengers almost 600 seats on a busy afternoon train.
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DART and The T also have launched a new monthly pass program for Trinity Railway Express users. The passes will allow transit users to access buses, trains and other mass-transit services on both systems for $30 or $60 a month. The $30 pass is good for single-zone fares; the $60 pass will work on trips that include both the Tarrant County zone and the Dallas County zone. Passes for all services are available at www.dart.org.
Tony Hartzel can be reached at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265.
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