Train News

DART begins testing trains for new Silver Line service across north Dallas

DART Silver Line train

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) fans can get a sneak peek of a new train line coming on board: Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has begun running trains on its new Silver Line tracks for the first time.

The Silver Line is a 26-mile route that will run from Plano to DFW Airport, crossing seven cities (Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Richardson, and Plano). It's scheduled to begin in late 2025 to early-2026.

DART worked with Trinity Metro, its partner on the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), to secure track availability to exercise the vehicles and test train operators and vehicle systems. The Silver Line trains will run full routes, following the same travel path as the TRE, from 10 am-6 pm with brief stops at each of its stations.

According to a release, the Silver Line trains will run on the TRE service route every Sunday for the next few weeks. The test runs will only be on Sunday since TRE does not offer service on Sundays.

This will only be a test run; no passengers will be allowed to board the Silver Line trains at any of the TRE stations. So you can look but cannot touch.

DART is more than 60 percent complete with the Silver Line project overall and will begin to fully test the trains in segments on the Silver Line tracks later this summer. In segmented testing, the trains are tested on a specific segment of the track on the project. They'll start on the segment that runs between the Shiloh Road Station in Plano and CityLine/Bush Station in Richardson, in late July or early August.

Testing will continue in the fall between the Knoll Trail Station in Dallas and Terminal B Station at DFW Airport. Segmented testing will wrap up in early 2025 with Silver Line trains running between the CityLine/Bush and Knoll Trail stations.

Segmented testing is necessary to ensure each portion of track along the alignment functions as needed and the vehicle responds accordingly. End-to-end testing of the entire Silver Line corridor is planned for summer of 2025.

Designed by Swiss manufacturer Stadler and assembled in Salt Lake City, the Silver Line vehicles are powered by electric diesel multiple-unit-powered (DMU) engines that meet strict EPA standards. With seating for 235 passengers and updated amenities like multidirectional seats, overhead storage and internal CCTV cameras, the trains are similar to Trinity Metro’s TexRail vehicles, and will provide a quiet ride with passenger safety and comfort.

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Down Under News

American and Qantas step up winter flights from DFW to Australia

American Airlines

Awww look, the two planes are hanging out.

American Airlines and Qantas are enhancing service on flights from DFW to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Qantas will increase operations to daily services between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Melbourne, Australia (MEL), starting December 3 through the end of January 2026.

Qantas will also operate all of its services between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Sydney, Australia (SYD) on its A380 aircraft from January.

“American is proud to partner with Qantas to increase travel options for customers to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this winter,” says American’s Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer Steve Johnson in a statement.

It's the fourth consecutive year that American and Qantas formed a Joint Business partnership to expanding connectivity between the U.S. and Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. After launching service between DFW and MEL in 2022, daily service operated by Qantas in December and January between these two hubs will allow for one-stop connections from across the U.S. to Melbourne. Ohhh, one-stop but not nonstop.

They'll also bring back American Airlines flights from DFW to Brisbane, a popular winter flight that was introduced in 2024. Service will start on October 25.

American recently introduced its newly designed Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring 51 Flagship Suite seats and 32 Premium Economy seats, available on all flights between DFW and BNE. Customers can purchase a Flagship Suite experience on this route now.

American and Qantas offer networks connecting North America with Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific from these key gateways: DFW, Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Vancouver, Canada (YVR), with connections to more than 200 other airports across North America.

The four major gateways in Australia and New Zealand are Auckland (AKL), Brisbane (BNE), Melbourne (MEL), and Sydney (SYD) with connections to nearly 70 destinations.

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