Blue Line (DART)


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 May 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird in September 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.
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 opened for service on October 24, 2016.

Future plans

The D2 Subway was planned to be implemented in 2028 and reroute the Blue Line off of the downtown transit corridor and over the former Green Line's western segment to terminate at North Carrollton/Frankford station. In 2023, DART put D2 plans on an indefinite hold and removed it from DART's 20-year funding plan. This change was due to greatly reduced ridership following the pandemic.

Stations

Daily Service

StationOther linesOpenedNotes
Downtown RowlettDecember 3, 2012Northern terminus
Downtown GarlandNovember 18, 2002
Forest/JupiterNovember 18, 2002
LBJ/SkillmanNovember 18, 2002
Lake HighlandsDecember 6, 2010
White RockSeptember 24, 2001
SMU/Mockingbird January 10, 1997Northernmost transfer for Red and Orange lines
Cityplace/Uptown December 18, 2000Transfer to
Pearl/Arts District June 14, 1996Easternmost transfer for Green Line
St. Paul June 14, 1996Transfer to
Akard June 14, 1996
West End June 14, 1996Westernmost transfer station for Green and Orange lines
EBJ Union StationJune 14, 1996Transfer to,, and
Convention CenterJune 14, 1996Closed to allow renovations to Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center; will reopen in 2029
CedarsJune 14, 1996
8th & CorinthJune 14, 1996Southernmost transfer for Red Line
MorrellJune 14, 1996
IllinoisJune 14, 1996
KiestMay 31, 1997
VA Medical CenterMay 31, 1997
LedbetterMay 31, 1997
Camp WisdomOctober 24, 2016
UNT DallasOctober 24, 2016Southern terminus

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