Blue Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)


The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas, operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the, it is one of the original modern rail lines in Dallas.

Route

The southern terminus of the line is currently at UNT Dallas in south Dallas at University Hills Blvd. just south of Camp Wisdom Rd. The line runs north, under the Dallas Convention Center and through downtown Dallas. After leaving Mockingbird, the line diverts to the northeast towards White Rock Lake. The line then goes north and then east into Garland, finally ending in Rowlett.

History

The rail line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Illinois to Pearl in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird in 1999, in preparation for the future extension to Garland.
On September 24, 2001, the Blue Line extended to White Rock, just northwest of White Rock Lake. On May 6, 2002, the Blue Line was extended to the LBJ/Skillman, just beyond LBJ Freeway. It was extended to Downtown Garland on November 18, 2002, and to its current northern terminus, Downtown Rowlett, on December 3, 2012.
DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, approved in October 2006, calls for the Blue Line to be extended south beyond Ledbetter to the University of North Texas at Dallas, as well as a branch along Bonnie View road to Interstate 20 and the SouthPort Intermodal Terminal. The plan also includes a new Lake Highlands station near Skillman Street and Walnut Hill Lane, which opened as DART's second infill station in December 2010.

Stations

Daily Service

StationOther linesOpenedNotes
Downtown Rowlett2012Northern terminus
Downtown Garland2002
Forest/Jupiter2002
LBJ/Skillman2002
Lake Highlands2010
White Rock2001
SMU/Mockingbird 1997Northernmost transfer for Red and Orange Lines
Cityplace/Uptown 2000Transfer to M-Line Trolley
Pearl/Arts District 1996Easternmost transfer for Green Line
St. Paul 1996Transfer to M-Line Trolley
Akard 1996
West End 1996Westernmost transfer station for Orange and Green Lines
EBJ Union Station1996Transfer to Dallas Streetcar, Trinity Railway Express, and Amtrak
Convention Center1996
Cedars1996
8th & Corinth1996Southernmost transfer for Red Line
Morrell1996
Illinois1996
Kiest1997
VA Medical Center1997
Ledbetter1997
Camp Wisdom2016
UNT Dallas2016Southern terminus

Special Event Service

In October 2014, construction began for a 2.6-mile extension south from Ledbetter station to the University of North Texas at Dallas, adding two new stations to the line: Camp Wisdom and UNT Dallas. The extension will open for service on October 24, 2016.

Deferred