DART President and CEO Nadine Lee and DART Board Chair (and former Richardson mayor) Gary Slagel were on hand at Monday’s City Council meeting to brief the Council on current and future DART services and programs.
Lee noted that Richardson currently has 10 bus routes, with routes 238 and 250 the top performers in the entire DART system. Richardson’s DART ridership overall totaled almost 600,000 riders for first quarter 2025 (375,000 bus riders and almost 225,000 using light rail).
Lee’s presentation also included news about:
- The Silver Line Regional Rail Project (hiring of operators and conductors has begun; work on the columns and foundations for the US 75 bridge will take place over the next few months)
- The Cotton Belt Regional Trail (work began this week on the Richardson portion of this hike/bike trail located within the Silver Line alignment)
- DART’s TIRZ Interlocal Agreement participation (approved by the DART board May 27, it will help in the development of Richardson’s Arapaho Center Station area)
Slagel updated the Council on DART plans in light of the results of the 2025 Texas legislative session. Though bills that would have dramatically affected DART’s funding, services and governance failed to get the required number of hearings in order to advance, DART is moving forward with parts of its “Commitment to Local Resolution” proposed in March to address some DART member cities’ underlying concerns that prompted the bills, especially in the areas of DART funding and board representation.
Community meetings continue this month throughout the DART service area to get public feedback on financial and service impacts related to these issues and many other proposed DART changes.
Monday’s update: Click here
DART community meeting information: click here
