DALLAS — The new DART Silver Line through Collin County is marking a milestone this month: Trains will be hitting the tracks.
No, you won't be able to ride the Silver Line just yet. But DART crews will begin testing a large section of the new line, from the Shiloh Road Station in Plano to Coit Road in far north Dallas, according to a DART news release Thursday.
The testing will begin July 21, so that's when residents could start seeing their first glimpse of the new DART trains passing through their area.
DART's testing will allow officials to check each train's onboard mechanisms and systems while monitoring safety measures at rail crossings. The testing will be done during the day to avoid weekends and nights when freight trains will use the railroad.
“We’ve been able to get exercise on the TRE tracks, but now it’s time for us to see how the trains operate on their home turf,” Trey Walker, DART's vice president of capital design and construction, said in the release. “We want to ensure everything is operating as it should and be able to catch any little thing that can improve safety and performance.
The Silver Line, a 26-mile commuter rail that will run east-west from the Shiloh Road station to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, is still a bit from fully opening for passengers; that's expected to begin in late 2025 to early 2026.
But the project is about 65% complete overall, according to DART, which has installed 120,120 linear feet of new railroad to go along with existing rail that will be part of the Silver Line. The Silver Line will include four new stations -- Shiloh Road, UT Dallas, Knoll Trail and Addison -- and construction is around 75% completed on those.
The Silver Line trains were manufactured by Stadler in Salt Lake City and are powered by electric diesel multiple-unit-powered (DMU) engines, according to DART. The trains will be able to seat over 230 passengers and will include multidirectional seats and overhead storage.
