Could A North Texas Rail Project Go Private?

There has been a lot of public private partnerships in Texas, most involving toll roads, but some involving projects such as Dallas's soon to be built deck park over Woodall Rogers Freeway downtown. But Texas has never had anyone interested in a venture involving a rail road. Until now.

 

NCTCOG is looking to speed up the development of the proposed Cotton Belt rail line by allowing private investors to build the project on their own. Both DART and the Fort Worth T has been wanting to build a rail line in the corridor formerly used by cotton freight trains beginning in 2013. However, budget issues in DART has put the project low on its list of things to do. The line would run from a connection with the DART Red Line at Bush Turnpike Station between Plano and Richardson westward through Plano and North Dallas to Addison, continuing to connect again with the new DART Green Line in Downtown Carrollton (which also links up to the DCTA line to Denton) and further westward into the north end of DFW Airport connecting to the new DART Orange Line. The Fort Worth T also has plans to take the line from DFW Airport to the southwest part of their city. The line could even further be expanded all the way to downtown Wylie. The proposed rail line is an essential cog in the economic development plan on DFW, as well as the mass transit plan.

 

The drawback to a private enterprise venture is the cost to the consumer. If no tax dollars are spent on the project whatsoever, it is likely the fares on the trains will be substantially higher than those on local DART and TRE rail lines. But personally, I think the Cotton Belt may be a more heavily traveled rail line than the Red or Blue Lines in Dallas currently are. It would provide an essential mass transit option in the northern suburbs of Dallas that has been lacking. People are tired of toll roads and tired of being married to their cars. They want more options, and mass transit in the northern suburbs has simply been lacking. DFW Airport also gains with rail lines in and out of both ends of the complex. The Cotton Belt would go north. The Orange Line would go south.

 

I would much rather pay tolls on my rail lines than tolls on my roads. If DFW is to be anything like a major metro area, it needs major rail service and the Cotton Belt is the answer.