There's a new public transportation connection in the works that will make travel easier across Dallas-Fort Worth.

At its April 14 meeting, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors authorized a payment of $21.5 million to Trinity Metro for the construction of approximately 2 miles of rail and platform facilities that will link the Cotton Belt line, AKA the Silver line, to Terminal B at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The reimbursement is associated with the facilities to be shared by the DART Silver Line.

DART will also give Trinity Metro $6 million for access rights to Terminal B for the future DART Silver Line project once it begins service in 2023.

The Trinity Metro Board of Directors approved a similar agreement on April 13.

Paul N. Wageman, chairman of the DART Board of Directors, said in a statement, "we are pleased to finalize the agreement with Trinity Metro. It marks another important right of way segment that DART has secured and is critically needed to complete the construction of the Silver Line."

Wageman said that the Silver Line will address demand by "a growing number of residents and employees in the eastern portion of the region for a convenient and efficient connection to DFW Airport."

The 26-mile Silver Line project will traverse seven cities between DFW Airport, Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, and Plano, and include 10 new stations. The primary purpose of the Silver Line is to provide rail service to employment, population, and activity centers in the northern part of the DART service area.

When completed, the Silver Line will connect with the Trinity Metro TEXRail commuter rail line at DFW North station and provide access to downtown Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

The Silver Line will also connect with the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) A-train commuter rail line which goes to Denton County; DART's Green Line which goes to Dallas Love Field and downtown Dallas via Downtown Carrollton Station; and DART's Red and Orange Lines at CityLine/Bush Station, which goes to Downtown Plano and the eastern side of the DART network.

The Silver Line can't connect directly to DART's current rail network because they use two different kinds of systems.

DART uses electric-powered light rail vehicles that get their power from overhead electrical cables.

The Silver Line will be a diesel multipler unit, similar to TexRail, with electrical engines that are powered by diesel, and therefore have no overhead lines.