Ride Don't Drive

Quick guide to DART State Fair ride schedule and key college games

The Fair Park station is one of two key DART Rail stops for the State Fair of Texas.

We're already in planning mode for the 2017 State Fair of Texas, which runs September 29-October 22. That includes this key update from DART on how to get there and when the big games are going down.

In 2016, more than 2.8 million passengers rode DART light rail to the fair. The transit agency expects similar ridership numbers this year and has scheduled the following changes:

Extra Green Line trains between Victory and Lawnview stations from 9:30 am-3:30 pm weekdays, and 9:30 am-7 pm weekends
All extra Green Line trains will feature 3 cars
Orange Line extended to Parker Road on all trips, weekdays, and weekends
Additional Green and Blue line service after 7 pm Saturdays and Sundays
Extra buses on Routes 60 and 409 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays
Sunday operation for Trinity Railway Express (TRE) from Fort Worth, yay. The TRE will operate on all four Sundays during the fair.

DART Police will be present in the State Fair Emergency Operations Center, troubleshooting issues immediately as they occur.

Direct to the fair
There are two key stops on the DART Green Line to get to the fair:

Fair Park, located on Parry Avenue at the entrance to the fairgrounds
MLK, Jr., located south of R.B. Cullum Boulevard and convenient to the Gate 6 entrance and the Cotton Bowl stadium

Extra Green Line trains will be available approximately every 15 minutes between Victory and Lawnview stations from 9:30 am-3:30 pm weekdays, and 9:30 am-7:30 pm on weekends.

Connecting from other trains
All DART Rail and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) passengers can transfer easily to the Green Line. Trains going to the fair will say "Fair Park," "Buckner," or "Lawnview."

Orange Line passengers from Irving transfer to the Green Line at Bachman Station.
Southbound Orange, Red, and Blue line passengers transfer at Pearl/Arts District or St. Paul stations.
Northbound Red and Blue line passengers transfer at Akard Station.
TRE passengers transfer to the Green Line at Victory Station. Details are at TrinityRailwayExpress.org.

Customers using the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) should check DCTA.net for departure and arrival times and to ensure smooth connections at Trinity Mills Station to DART’s Green Line. The DCTA will be adjusting their schedules during the fair.

Day Pass and GoPass app
Purchase a Local Day Pass for $5, good for DART Rail, local buses and riding the TRE from CentrePort Station. Tarrant and Denton County customers need a Regional Day Pass for $10. Purchase passes at ticket vending machines at all DART and TRE stations or on the GoPass app available for both Apple and Android.

Save $2 and buy your State Fair of Texas general admission with the GoPass app. Show your purchased fair ticket on GoPass at any gate to gain entrance. It is not necessary to buy a DART transit ticket to take advantage of the State Fair discount ticket. Details are available at DART.org/StateFair or by calling DART Customer Information at 214-979-1111.

Special dates
Additional service to two football games played at the historic Cotton Bowl will be provided by DART and the TRE.

October 7: The Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic between Prairie View A&M University and Grambling State University
October 14: AT&T Red River Showdown game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Oklahoma Sooners

Details are available at DART.org/StateFair.

Other popular special event dates to consider riding DART are Columbus Day on October 9; Lower Grade School Day on October 13, and High School Night on October 20.

transportation state-fair traffic

money woes

Texas is no longer the No. 1 most financially distressed state in U.S.

Photo by Image Source/Getty Images

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After spending an unfortunate year as the No. 1 state with the most people in financial distress, Texas has slightly recovered. But the Lone Star State isn't out of the woods yet: it's still among the five most financially distressed states in America for 2026.

According to WalletHub's 2026 report, Texas sits in the No. 4 spot this year, while Kansas, Louisiana, and Florida moved up to become the top three states with the most financially distressed residents.

The personal finance website's experts compared all 50 states based on residents' average credit scores, the share of people with "accounts in distress" (meaning an account that's in forbearance or has deferred payments), the one-year change in bankruptcy filings from March 2025, and search interest indexes for "debt" and "loans."

Despite improving in the overall ranking, the study found Texas has had the fourth-biggest spike in bankruptcy filings nationally from March 2025 to March 2026. Texas residents also have the 10th worst average credit scores in the country, according to the findings.

This is how Texas ranked across the study's six key dimensions, where No. 1 means "most distressed:"

No. 4 – Change in bankruptcy filings from March 2024 to March 2025 rank
No. 5 – Average number of accounts in distress rank
No. 8 – "Loans" search interest index rank
No. 8 – People with accounts in distress rank
No. 12 – Credit score rank
No. 13 – “Debt” search interest index rank

It feels like inflation and affordability are top-of-mind for many Americans over recent years, and uncertainty around the national economy also adds another level of distress. That's especially true for Dallas residents, which were dubbed the fourth most financially distressed people in America earlier in 2026.

"Americans have faced significant financial challenges in recent years, as inflation, shifting unemployment levels, public health emergencies, and natural disasters have made it more difficult for many households to stay on top of their bills," the report said.

The top three states that have the least financially distressed residents are Maine (No. 50), Rhode Island (No. 49), and Hawaii (No. 48).

The top 10 most financially distressed states in America for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Kansas
No. 2 – Lousiana
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – Texas
No. 5 – South Carolina
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – California
No. 9 – North Carolina
No. 10 – Kentucky