DART Orange Line celebrates decade of taking riders in and out of DFW Airport with direct rail service

Recent local transit conversation has focused on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Silver Line Regional Rail project and its ability to connect future passengers to Terminal B at DFW Airport once it opens for revenue service later next year or early 2026.

But did you know that DART has been providing service to DFW Airport for a decade?

In fact, DART was the first transit agency in the southwestern United States to provide direct rail service - from station to terminal - to a regional or international airport. On Aug. 18, 2014, DART set that precedent with its initial voyage from Terminal A at DFW Airport to downtown Dallas.

"A transit connection to DFW International Airport has been a component of DART's vision since its inception of the transit authority in 1983," said John Hoppie, a project manager in DART's development department who worked on the Orange Line extension to DFW Airport. "That was a milestone moment for us and the Dallas area."

The Orange Line began service in 2010 and added stops in the City of Irving two years later, connecting riders to the University of Dallas, Las Colinas, Irving Convention Center, and Dallas College's North Lake campus. The 5-mile extension from Belt Line Station to DFW Airport brought DART's light-rail system to the nation's second-busiest airport (four months earlier than planned) and extended its service across 90 miles and 62 stations.

DART opened a deferred infill station in 2021, the Hidden Ridge Station, providing an additional rail stop for riders to access the various retail, entertainment, and business options in Las Colinas. Additional infill stations, which are planned stations that can be added to existing rail service during a later time, near Loop 12 and South Las Colinas would bring the total number of stations on the Orange Line to 15, keeping the trip between downtown Dallas (from the Pearl/Arts District Station) to DFW Airport under one hour.

There are currently over 60 Orange Line trips scheduled from the Pearl/Arts District Station to DFW Airport during the week and 48 on the weekend. DART serves an average of 15,500 riders daily and 8,400 per weekend on the Orange Line.

Trinity Metro, which shares the operation of Trinity Railway Express (TRE) between Dallas and Fort Worth, became the second transit agency in the southwestern United States to offer direct rail to airport service when it began operation of the TexRail from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport in 2019. DART will share station space with TexRail at the DFW North Station in Grapevine once Silver Line opens for revenue service, giving DFW Airport direct rail service originating from three of the 75 largest (according to 2020 U.S. Census) cities in the nation - Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano.

The addition of the Silver Line will provide a second direct point of rail access to DFW Airport, connecting riders in the northern DART service area from its starting point in Plano with stops in Richardson, North Dallas, Addison, Carrollton and Grapevine. DART also provides service to Dallas Love Field Airport through the Green Line and a dedicated bus route from the Inwood/Love Field Station to the airport.

David Ehrlicher, DART's chief architect and an assistant vice president who was heavily involved with designing the Orange Line light-rail project, said getting the extension to DFW Airport 10 years ago was the key to helping make everything else fall into place.

"The Orange Line extension to DFW Airport is important because it offered airline passengers the opportunity to become DART customers with a single-seat ride to downtown Dallas and other destinations throughout the DART service area," Ehrlicher said. "DFW Airport is a major access point for business and recreational travelers in the United States. By bringing direct rail service to DFW [Airport], we've been giving those same travelers an easy connection to all the Dallas area has to offer while also offering locals a convenient way to reach their business or vacation destination."

To learn more about the Orange Line or check the DART rail maps and schedule, please visit DART Rail System.