Why DART is pushing back the opening date for the Silver Line to DFW Airport

The long-anticipated Dallas Area Rapid Transit Silver Line will open in late 2024, two years after it was to begin carrying passengers between DFW Airport and Plano. The line was scheduled to open in 2022 but has been pushed back twice due to construction delays, the COVID-19 pandemic and unsettled agreements. DART spokesman Gordon Shattles said in July 2021 that the latest setback was partially triggered by delays in land acquisition and agreements between the agency and freight operators as well as pandemic-related slowdowns. Some cities that the Silver Line will traverse have also requested design modifications to the rail, causing further delays, Shattles said. DART has not yet set a month for the rail’s opening.

“The final decision on the beginning of revenue service for the DART Silver Line will be decided by the DART Board of Directors,” Shattles said. The 26-mile Silver Line has been in the works since 1990 and will travel between southeast Plano and DFW Airport, stopping at 10 stations along the way. According to Shattles, the ride from 12th Street in Plano to DFW Airport will be 59 minutes. The project is expected to cost $1.2 billion to construct. DART is holding a series of virtual community meetings to get input from residents on the Silver Line’s construction and operations. Shattles said the meetings will consist of presentations on the line’s design and construction, updates on the project’s betterment walls and progress on hike and bike trails near DART stations. “The goal of these community meetings is to ensure our residents are engaged and informed about the progress of the long-awaited Silver Line project, and to make certain that any questions or concerns they have as construction ramps up are answered,” Shattles said.