Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro are implementing temporary service enhancements between major North Texas destinations during the World Cup, which begins on June 11 with the first game in Dallas-Fort Worth on June 14.
The expanded transit connections will link Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas and DFW International Airport starting Monday, June 8 through July 19.
DART’s Light Rail and Trinity Railway Express will increase their capacity and frequency of transit services. DART expects high ridership at Victory Station — a transfer point for the TRE — for three to four hours before and after matches, with about 10,000 expected riders on match days.
DART’s Orange Line will extend to Parker Road every day instead of stopping after weekday rush hours. The Orange, Red and Blue lines will have 20-minute service all day, every day with two-car trains. An additional Green Line service will be inserted between Lawnview and Victory stations as needed.
“Operations is planning to operate extra trains and buses to accommodate the increased ridership and will adjust accordingly,” said Trenise Winters, DART’s chief operations officer and executive vice president, during a board meeting on May 26. “The TRE is a critical part of match day service.”
TRE will be adding four-car trains and Sunday train services. Routes will provide access to Dallas Stadium, renamed from AT&T Stadium for the games, through the CentrePort Station and supplemental buses.
“This is one of the largest international events North Texas has hosted, and Trinity Metro is prepared to move people safely and efficiently on the Trinity Metro system,” Rich Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, said in a news release.
Trains will have 30-minute service all day, every day except June 27, when services go to 60 minutes until 4 p.m. before returning to 30 minutes. Weekends and holidays will have 60-minute services all day. Weekday peak times will have 30-minute services from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A special motorcoach shuttle service, the Cowtown Visitor Shuttle, will be provided by the TRE to encourage tourists to visit Fort Worth destinations and Arlington’s entertainment district. The shuttle will run daily during the World Cup. The coaches operate every 30 minutes and passes cost $10 per person.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments will provide dynamic charter bus services from downtown Dallas to the stadium to supplement the TRE. On match days, there will be an additional 60 buses at Victory Station and 10 buses at the TRE West Irving Station.
More than 60 buses will be at Fair Park to support light rail services during the FIFA Fan Festival. Post-event buses will transport transit users to Pearl and Akard stations. DART estimates about 15,000 rides during and after the Fan Festival to and from both Fair Park and MLK Jr. stations. The transit authority expects about 20,000 commuters on weekends and during concerts.
“DART’s operations team, including maintenance of way and facilities, have been collaborating across the agency to ensure we can provide reliable service, both for our regular commuters as well as our guests,” Winters said during the board meeting.
A DART regional pass, which applies to both DART and Trinity Metro, costs $9 and can be purchased on either the GoPass app or at a station.
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