D.A.R.T. / Other Trains, Dallas

I'm spending my honeymoon in Dallas, on of the best ways I've learned to travel in order to keep the stress level low is to have reservations in hotels beforehand and to avoid having to use a car. This is why I only travel to cities that have well developed mass transit rail systems. I found a super 8 motel (55 bucks a night) within walking distance from a DART light rail station and we will be spending a week in Dallas sans car and you can keep very busy with the destinations that are within reach of light rail. Dallas has two well developed lines, red and blue and they are already working on new lines.

DART

Working hard to make the going easy >>>> that's their slogan :D

If you want to explore Texas the laid back way - you gotta get on the DART (just like in Dublin (same name) it provides you with a good net to about 13 other cities ... so lean back and enjoy the ride AND safe the planet ;)

Routes to note:

From Dallas International Airport /Forthworth via the Trinity Railway Express (TRE)

And since we talkin' Texas where everything is BIG ... the service is too... so what can you get from your DART experience:

>DART takes you back to historic beginnings
> DART Music Station is back on track!
> DART Officials Step Up Rail/Bus Security En Espa?ol
> DART Security Initiatives
> Ride DART to Special Events
> DART to Shopping, Dining, Entertainment and Sporting Events
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THE NITTY GRITTY BIT:

DAY PASSES**
Local $2.50 Premium $4.50 Reduced* $1.00
All Day Passes valid only on the date of purchase
through 3 a.m. the following day.

SINGLE RIDE FARES
Single ride options are good for 90 minutes of train travel or a single bus trip (no transfers). Rail Only Tickets are not valid on buses.
Local $1.25 Premium $2.25 Reduced* $.50
Paratransit-eligible riders using bus and rail service
(with valid Paratransit photo ID) FREE

MONTHLY PASSES
Local $40 Premium $70 Reduced* $15

WHERE TO PURCHASE
Bus Fares: Insert the exact fare into the farebox as you board. Fareboxes accept $1 bills, and/or coins, including $1 coins. Day Passes and single ride fares are available on buses.
Rail Fares: Purchase Day Passes or a Rail Only single ride fare from a Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) found at all DART Rail stations. TVMs will accept coins, $1, $5, $10 and $20 bills. (How to use DART TVMs.)
Monthly Passes: Available at DART Pass Outlet Locations, the DART Store at Akard Station and the DART Store Online.

If you are risky and want to try something ancient, take a tram from St. Paul street to West Village. The ride is free of charge, and if you are lucky as I was you will here from the driver a lot of stories about restaurants, building and their owners in West Village.

The tram is very small with wood sits and the driver wearing old fashioned suit and with long beard. I had a lot of fun. Sorry, didn't take a pic of the train.

1 more image

Nice two-store carts train, almost noiseless (it seemed to me so), fast. Easy way to get to Fort Worth.

One thing that I didn't understand is the schedule of the train. I used that one that I picked on the station and it seemed to me so weird because time was backwards. Aslo, be careful with taking the train if you are not on the last station because it can go in both directions I just asked people to where it goes. Make sure that you ask several people, because even residents were not sure. But so far I liked that train.

It is what you should know about trains in Dallas. The broshure of DART says "Always a good deal" and I must say I agree with them. The great deal is the day pass
Local - $2.50
Premium - $4.50 if you want to go to Fort Worth (Trinity Railway Express) - I was confused with this name, so just remember - if you go further than West Irving station, you should buy this ticket.

The train goes fast and is pretty comfortable. Moreover it brought me memories of my native city Kiev that has trains like those in Dallas.

The Dart (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) system is an easy and efficient service to use. The light rail covers 34 stations. Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) are located on the platforms at all rail stations. You can also buy DART tickets at Minyard Food Stores and Albertsons. Single-ride tickets and Day Passes purchased from TVMs are already time/date stamped and ready to use. All other rail tickets must be time/date stamped before boarding by inserting them in the Validator machine located at each rail station. Failing to validate your ticket is grounds for a citation and fine.

The website has information on maps, fares etc.

DART is the Public Transportation Department for Dallas. They operate a series of trains that were quite convenient on my last trip to Dallas.

My Experience has been that older cities such as New York and Boston have really well established train systems that take you where you want to go. Not so old cities (like Atlanta) have limited train systems that still need to be developed.

Dallas was a surprise. The system was convenient for us, the trains were clean and the people riding them were friendly. these trains actually ride above ground most of the time and stop for traffic lights.

At $2.50 for an all day pass, it was a good alternative to paying for parking downtown.

Although no one in our group drinks, we decided to be safe and take the train into downtown! What a great option. For only $1 USD round trip ($.50 USD for students/youth), you can take off from as far north as Plano, go through Richardson, Garland and into downtown.

We took the train from Garland to West End, and it was great!