The Fort Worth mayor’s office Thursday morning unveiled a committee to “explore opportunities” for the development of urban rail in the city.
The Urban Rail Committee Supporting Economic Development & Tourism will begin meeting this summer through the end of 2024, according to a city press release. The group’s inception signals a more serious commitment from Fort Worth leaders to fill a gap in the city’s transportation infrastructure .
“We know that Fort Worth remains one of the fastest-growing cities in America, and current trends show that in 2100 the Fort Worth-Dallas Metro region will be the largest metro area in the country,” said Mayor Mattie Parker in a statement. “With that growth comes immense challenges and opportunities. I believe right now that we are well-poised for the opportunity to explore urban rail opportunities, particularly in supporting our growing economic development and tourism industries.”
The committee will “determine if there is a likelihood to develop a fixed rail system designed to move people along the entertainment districts within Fort Worth” and weigh the fiscal and legislative tools needed to create and sustain the network.
Only around 5% of Fort Worth residents use trains of any type to get around the city , according to the latest Fort Worth community survey. Experts often pin the low usage rate on low availability, itself a product of the city’s car-centric layout and dispersed population.
Another issue is, paradoxically, space. Dallas bought up dozens of miles of track to expand DART, its sprawling light rail system that often inspires the envy of Fort Worth’s more rail-friendly residents. Freight conglomerates like BNSF and Union Pacific dominate much of Fort Worth’s existing tracks; the land to construct new ones is scarce, and the appetite to buy up more space uncertain.
The return of mass urban rail to Cowtown almost reached the station in 2010, when the Federal Transportation Administration awarded the city $25 million to develop an electric streetcar system. The Fort Worth City Council, citing concerns about future costs, ultimately derailed the plan .
Yet demographic and economic trends may breathe new life into the project, or some variation of it. Fort Worth’s population is soaring. More people and diminishing space will, in theory, pack residents closer together, a pillar of a sustainable (and financially viable) public transit system.
The city will team with Trinity Metro, which operates commuter and fixed rail systems linking hot spots across Tarrant and Dallas counties, to evaluate different options and their potential.
“Trinity Metro is always striving to think ahead for what Fort Worth’s transit needs will be into the future,” said Trinity Metro CEO Rich Andreski in a statement. “We are glad to continue our collaborative work on this effort with City of Fort Worth, this time with a focus on exploring solutions that support the dynamic economic development and tourism needs of a rapidly-growing Tarrant County.”
The organization is planning to extend its TEXRail line into Fort Worth’s medical district (it submitted a drainage study for the project in late April). It opened its newest Trinity Railway Express stop just outside Richland Hills two months earlier.
Most Popular
Comments / 0