Train News

DART to install quiet zones along path of Silver Line north of Dallas

DART Silver Line

DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is preparing to roll out its Silver Line Regional Rail, a commuter line that will extend from Plano to DFW Airport, by the end of 2025. As part of that rollout, the agency is creating a quiet zone along most of the 26-mile course — meaning that when the train makes its way across intersections, it will not honk its horn.

DART partnered with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and six of the seven cities that the Silver Line will cross to establish a quiet zone ordinance along most of the 26-mile rail alignment.

Quiet zones are established to limit noise, with trains sounding their horns only if there is something that will affect the vehicle’s passage on or near the tracks.

During testing, which they've been conducting since mid-2024, the trains were required to sound their horns as they approached all rail crossings, to get motorists and pedestrians accustomed to the presence of the train.

These horns will begin to fall silent before the end of July, as quiet zones are expected to become active as follows:

July 30: Coppell
August 1: Addison and Dallas
August 22: Carrollton, Richardson, and Plano.

All dates are tentative, pending FRA approval.

“Safety has been one of our biggest priorities as we’ve pushed through on this project, so we want to thank everyone for their patience as we’ve worked through all the requirements needed with FRA officials to get these quiet zones active,” says DART VP of capital programs Trey Walker in a statement.

Safety issues
Once quiet zones are activated, residents, motorists, and pedestrians will no longer consistently hear the train horn as the vehicles approach a rail crossing or station. Train horns will only be used when necessary for safety, such as an object on or near the track obstructing the train’s path forward.

DART worked with city and FRA officials to verify that all areas along the rail alignment meet the necessary additional safety measures to establish quiet zones. The FRA requires these measures to ensure the public is aware of oncoming trains that will not consistently sound their horns. That includes fencing, quad gates at rail crossings, and unmountable curbs, which keep vehicles from driving around gates at crossings. Once activated, passenger and freight trains must adhere to all quiet zones.

Silver Line is not light rail
The Silver Line vehicles are powered by electric diesel multiple-unit-powered (DMU) engines manufactured by Stadler in Salt Lake City, which meet strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. With seating for more than 220 passengers and amenities like multidirectional seats, overhead storage, and internal closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the trains more closely resemble Trinity Metro’s TexRail vehicles than DART’s existing light rail fleet operating on the Red, Blue, Orange, and Green Lines.

The DART Silver Line is a 26-mile commuter rail that traverses seven North Texas cities (Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, Plano) between DFW Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano. The new regional rail line features 53 miles of a double-track alignment that crosses three counties (Collin, Dallas, and Tarrant) and will improve mobility and accessibility across the northern portion of the DART service area.

traffic transportation

DART News

DART receives $7 million federal grant for new low-emission buses

Gillig

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has received a grant to update its fleet of buses. According to a release, the agency was awarded a $7.094 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support the purchase of new buses as the agency phases out its fleet of older model vehicles.

The grant awarded to DART is one of 165 transit projects across the U.S. funded with more than $2 billion in federal grants.

In February, DART purchased 476 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from Gillig, a California-based manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, to fulfill their goal to modernize their transit system over the next decade — particularly via new buses and light-rail vehicles to replace the oldest units in their aging fleet.

The phase-in of those new vehicles is expected to be executed through 2027.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses are a near-zero emission option, which was a key component in DART qualifying for the federal grant. Gillig has already delivered the first buses ahead of a Spring 2026 timeline — meaning that DART riders will get to start riding the upgraded buses on routes by the end of December 2025.

In a statement, DART President & CEO Nadine Lee says the timing is perfect.

“The timing of this grant couldn’t be better as we begin to receive early delivery of new, state-of-the-art vehicles from Gillig and as we move ahead with preparations to provide service to the massive crowds we expect next year with the FIFA World Cup," Lee says. "We are grateful to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, FTA Administrator Marcus Molinaro, and our entire congressional delegation for valuing their strong federal partnership with DART, recognizing the need to find additional funding to support transit programs in one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation."

This new grant is in addition to $103 million initial federal grants, bringing the total federal support for DART’s purchase of new buses to more than $110 million – reducing the overall cost to DART and member cities.

U.S. Congressional delegates, representing communities across Texas, were instrumental in securing the funding for the grant. The purchase of 476 buses is one part of DART’s Transform, a $2.5 billion 10-year plan to modernize and upgrade the DART system.

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