Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will begin a second run of vehicle testing on the Silver Line Regional Rail alignment beginning Sunday, Aug. 25.
The testing on Silver Line tracks will be exclusive to Segment C of the project, falling between Waterview Parkway and the Shiloh Road Station. Times of testing will occur between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week.
Flaggers will be present at each of the rail crossings, where required by Federal Railroad Administration guidelines, to help drivers and pedestrians navigate traffic safely and accurately. Engineers and rail crew will be testing the timing and duration of gates, lights, and warning signals at each crossing to ensure safe transitions for both freight and commuter rail that will share operations in the corridor once the Silver Line is in revenue service.
“Safety for the public, our operators and employees are the top priority as we undergo this testing period,” said Trey Walker, DART vice president of capital design and construction. “We will be checking everything from top to bottom and reviewing, adjusting and re-testing to make sure that we can travel through the corridor safely and anyone near the rail alignment knows we’re active and coming through.”
Drivers and pedestrian. can expect to see both Silver Line vehicles and CPKC freight rail trains running on the tracks during testing as crews will test a rail cutover between City Line Drive and Waterview Parkway. Freight rail service will still only operate during its normally scheduled times (between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.) once testing is complete.
Silver Line vehicle testing will include operating its simulated route with stops at the 12th Street, CityLine/Bush and UT Dallas stations with no passenger pick-up or drop-off points. All stations are still active construction sites, so onlookers are not allowed on platforms or nearby walkways.
Quiet zones, which allow trains to use their horns only when there is a potential hazard on or near the tracks, will not be in effect during testing. Crews will also be testing track and system configuration throughout the alignment beginning Monday, Aug. 19, but no train activity is anticipated. To learn more about the Silver Line Regional Rail project, please visit www.dart.org/silverline.
