Train News
Dallas Area Rapid Transit sounds alert about fatal effects of bill
DART Train
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is issuing a red alert on a bill that it says would be a "killer" to DART.
According to a release, Texas House Bill 3187 would dismantle the region’s public transportation system, jeopardizing access for more than 100,000 riders.
Authored by Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano), the bill would reduce DART's one-cent sales tax collection from each of its member cities by 25 percent, and allow cities to use the money for other projects such as sidewalks, hiking trails, streetlights, and other transportation-related purposes.
DART is funded by a sales tax of one cent on every dollar by 13 cities: Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Irving, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, and University Park.
Some less-cosmopolitan cities including Irving, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, and Plano have expressed dissatisfaction with their end of the deal and have passed resolutions to reduce DART funding by 25 percent. The city of Addison has admirably come out in favor of continued support for DART.
DART's alert follows the bill's movement on May 6 out of committee and on to the full Texas House for consideration.
“This bill isn’t a tweak to funding. It’s a full-on dismantling of the DART system,” says DART Chief Communications Officer Jeamy Molina. “The people of North Texas voted twice to fund a unified, regional transit system. House Bill 3187 completely ignores their voice and puts the future of public transportation in jeopardy.”
If passed, the bill would stall or kill over $3.5 billion in transit-oriented development projects, many already underway near DART rail stations.
It would reduce transit access for essential workers, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families, and undermine DART’s ability to prepare for major international events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The consequences of H.B. 3187 goes beyond service cuts. The bill represents an unprecedented break in the contract between DART and its voters. The agency’s funding was approved through democratic vote and reaffirmed through supermajority elections in member cities.
