 the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - Summer 2007 |
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eelam@DART.org
For almost two years now, I've had the privilege of chairing the DART Board during a pivotal time in the agency's history – indeed, in our region's history. Together, we made sweeping service improvements, began expanding the HOV lane system, launched one of the largest light rail expansion projects anywhere, and witnessed the advent of an exciting, new transit lifestyle.
Of course, the ongoing construction of the Green Line wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of a lot of people, particularly our Congressional delegation. With their support, we secured a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration – the second-largest of its kind – and we wasted no time breaking ground.
Late last year, the DART Board took its vision for our region even further by approving our new 2030 Mobility Plan – a grand vision for our service area that identifies new rail corridors, plus a host of other mobility solutions, to keep our region moving for years to come. We also instigated crucial security measures and helped spark a regional and state legislative dialogue on ways to bring public transit – particularly rail – to non-transit cities.
During my tenure, we watched as record-high and fluctuating gas prices drove more and more commuters to try transit. And even when the price of gas eases a little, they're opting to keep their seats. Surprising? Not to me. Increasingly, the DART rider is savvy enough to embrace transit as a money-saving part of the changing urban lifestyle. That means hopping on DART not only for work commutes, but – as you'll read in this Inmotion – for leisure pursuits. Entertainment destinations are springing up around DART stations, and when the Green Line begins opening in September 2009, more work-live-play districts – "transit villages," they're appropriately called – are on the way.
Look around, and you'll see our region is taking a giant step forward, right before our eyes. DART is a big part of the global city we're becoming, and I look forward to seeing the ways public transit will transform our urban landscape.
In October, DART gets a new chairman, but I'll still be seeing you on board.
Mark Enoch
DART Chairman of the Board
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