By JAY PARSONS - The Dallas Morning News - Thursday, March 31, 2005
Two long-awaited commuter rail options divide Denton County's landscape like scissors. They also have split a 12-member board that must select the best proposal for commuters craving efficient mass transit.
A divided Denton County Transportation Authority may be tilted by the municipalities least affected by commuter rail, notably The Colony and Little Elm. Officials from those areas say they would probably favor the cheaper route.
Which route that will be remains unclear. The authority will release a report next month outlining the costs and impacts of both routes. From there, the board will hold public hearings, choose a route and apply for federal funding in hopes of constructing most of the rail line by 2011.
Both start in Denton and connect to Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Carrollton, linking to a planned DART stop and connecting Denton County commuters with downtown Dallas. One route hugs Interstate 35E; the other traces the Kansas City Southern (KCS) rail line to the west, through Copper Canyon and Highland Village.
City councils in Denton and Highland Village didn't wait for the study's release to pass resolutions urging DCTA to choose a route.
Denton favors the I-35E option, hoping it will spur development. Highland Village wants the KCS line, believing it could lure shoppers to its future commercial corridor at FM407 and FM2499.
The two routes merge in northern Lewisville, so the county's second-biggest city will choose a route based on technology and costs, said DCTA Chairman Charles Emery, who represents Lewisville.
Choosing a route is more complicated than scanning a map. Each route has obstacles:
•Denton's choice is the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line along I-35E. Most of that line was removed years ago, creating nine miles of nature trails through Corinth.
DART owns most of the right of way, leaving this route fewer obstacles.
"MKT serves the heart of the congestion," said Tom Spencer, who lives in Shady Shores and represents small cities on DCTA. "We're filled in here. My personal feelings are you serve the growth you have, that just
makes sense."
Highland Village's choice is the KCS rail line, still owned and operated by the rail company. DCTA could try to buy the line or lease it during certain hours. A second line would be built for two-way traffic.
This option is clouded by KCS. Freight lines are more crowded than ever, and KCS will not negotiate until DCTA chooses this route.
"It would be a great incentive for people to relocate to Highland Village," said City Manager Michael Leavitt, a DCTA member. "This is a very corporate city with people used to the L in Chicago or the Metro in D.C."
Highland Village also hopes a rail station near the FM407 and FM2499 intersection would attract shoppers – and sales tax revenue – to a planned commercial corridor.
Highland Village hopes the KCS line will woo Flower Mound and Corinth. The Highland Village station would be very close to the Flower Mound border.
A Flower Mound DCTA member said he will follow the orders of the City Council, which has yet to discuss the routes.
Corinth sides with Highland village. The city would keep its nature trail and be within easy driving distance of the Highland Village station once the FM2499 extension connects the cities.
"A Highland Village station will at least provide some access to Corinth commuters living on the western side of the city without hurting the lifestyle of people on the eastern side," said Paul Ruggiere, a Corinth DCTA member.
The Corinth City Council will vote Thursday on a resolution supporting the KCS line, said Mayor Vic Burgess, who said he strongly favors that route.
At least four DCTA board members indicated they would favor the MKT line. Most reasoned: That's where most of the population is. If Flower Mound sides with Highland Village, the KCS line should get at least three votes.
That leaves five other board members. Two could not be reached, and three said they are undecided. The biggest factor for the undecided cities will be cost, representatives from The Colony and Little Elm said.
"If we don't get matching funds, we're not going anywhere," said Randy Hunt, who lives near Krum and represents unincorporated territory. "A half-cent sales tax isn't enough to make anything happen."
A preliminary DCTA cost estimate for the rail line was $240 million.
Three cities – Denton, Highland Village and Lewisville – are contributing sales taxes for the commuter rail.
DCTA officials hope most of the money will come from state bonds and federal funding.
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Showing posts with label Denton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denton. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Most cost-effective rail route ends in downtown Denton - Expense-per-rider would meet federal funding criteria
By DAVE MOORE - Denton Record-Chronicle - Wednesday, May 11, 2005
DENTON – A route that ends in downtown Denton is the most cost-effective for commuter rail service from Denton to Dallas, a consultant said Wednesday.
URS Corp. associate Tim Baldwin told the Denton County Transportation Authority board that the average rider would cost the DCTA $15.05 per year using that route. Denver-based URS arrived at the figure by dividing the annual construction, operating and maintenance costs by the number of riders per year.
To receive federal funding, rail projects in 2006 must cost $15.22 or less per rider per year, according to Mr. Baldwin.
"With this analysis, we move beyond the emotion" of those opposing the line, said DCTA board member Randy Hunt.
Mr. Hunt wouldn't specify who has been objecting to rail talks, but some residents in Corinth have voiced concerns about how the train line, proposed along a Missouri-Kansas-Texas line, would disrupt their neighborhoods.
In another alternative, URS has proposed spending $20 million to move the line parallel to Interstate 35E and away from the neighborhoods. But that pushes the cost of the project up $1 per rider per year.
The authority was created by a countywide vote in 2003, with a majority of the voters in Denton, Lewisville and Highland Village approving. Its mission is to create and operate mass transit systems for Denton County
that would connect to the Dallas area.
The DCTA has been collecting its half-cent sales tax since January 2004 and has been holding public meetings and forums.
The cost analysis given Wednesday is not the final recommendation from URS. The consultant will publicly disclose that at meetings Monday and Tuesday in Denton and Highland Village, respectively.
The DCTA board will use that recommendation and other public input to choose the best way to reduce commuter congestion on Interstate 35E. They are to vote on a route at a meeting May 26.
Mr. Baldwin said community input also will influence URS' recommendation of which commuting option is the best choice.
The rail option determined to be second-most cost-efficient was using the Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line to downtown Carrollton, then heading south to Las Colinas using the Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe rail line, parallel to the existing Trinity Railway Express line to Union Station in downtown Dallas.
But that would increase construction costs by at least $100 million, according to URS documents. That route's ridership would be higher, which would reduce the cost to $15.29 per passenger per year, Mr. Baldwin said.
The option was put in the mix at the advice of the federal officials, who wanted an alternative route in case Dallas Area Rapid Transit doesn't extend its rail line north to Carrollton. The URS analysis on the Burlington route assumes that the DART extension to Carrollton wouldn't be completed, Mr. Baldwin said.
One advantage to the Burlington route would be that riders wouldn't need to transfer trains in their commutes between Dallas and Denton, Mr. Baldwin said. Currently, the DCTA plans to have riders transfer from its passenger train cars in Carrollton to board DART light-rail cars, Mr. Baldwin said.
The Denton County rail line could be completed as early as 2011, depending upon DART's timeline, Baldwin said.
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DENTON – A route that ends in downtown Denton is the most cost-effective for commuter rail service from Denton to Dallas, a consultant said Wednesday.
URS Corp. associate Tim Baldwin told the Denton County Transportation Authority board that the average rider would cost the DCTA $15.05 per year using that route. Denver-based URS arrived at the figure by dividing the annual construction, operating and maintenance costs by the number of riders per year.
To receive federal funding, rail projects in 2006 must cost $15.22 or less per rider per year, according to Mr. Baldwin.
"With this analysis, we move beyond the emotion" of those opposing the line, said DCTA board member Randy Hunt.
Mr. Hunt wouldn't specify who has been objecting to rail talks, but some residents in Corinth have voiced concerns about how the train line, proposed along a Missouri-Kansas-Texas line, would disrupt their neighborhoods.
In another alternative, URS has proposed spending $20 million to move the line parallel to Interstate 35E and away from the neighborhoods. But that pushes the cost of the project up $1 per rider per year.
The authority was created by a countywide vote in 2003, with a majority of the voters in Denton, Lewisville and Highland Village approving. Its mission is to create and operate mass transit systems for Denton County
that would connect to the Dallas area.
The DCTA has been collecting its half-cent sales tax since January 2004 and has been holding public meetings and forums.
The cost analysis given Wednesday is not the final recommendation from URS. The consultant will publicly disclose that at meetings Monday and Tuesday in Denton and Highland Village, respectively.
The DCTA board will use that recommendation and other public input to choose the best way to reduce commuter congestion on Interstate 35E. They are to vote on a route at a meeting May 26.
Mr. Baldwin said community input also will influence URS' recommendation of which commuting option is the best choice.
The rail option determined to be second-most cost-efficient was using the Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line to downtown Carrollton, then heading south to Las Colinas using the Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe rail line, parallel to the existing Trinity Railway Express line to Union Station in downtown Dallas.
But that would increase construction costs by at least $100 million, according to URS documents. That route's ridership would be higher, which would reduce the cost to $15.29 per passenger per year, Mr. Baldwin said.
The option was put in the mix at the advice of the federal officials, who wanted an alternative route in case Dallas Area Rapid Transit doesn't extend its rail line north to Carrollton. The URS analysis on the Burlington route assumes that the DART extension to Carrollton wouldn't be completed, Mr. Baldwin said.
One advantage to the Burlington route would be that riders wouldn't need to transfer trains in their commutes between Dallas and Denton, Mr. Baldwin said. Currently, the DCTA plans to have riders transfer from its passenger train cars in Carrollton to board DART light-rail cars, Mr. Baldwin said.
The Denton County rail line could be completed as early as 2011, depending upon DART's timeline, Baldwin said.
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Final site for N. Lewisville rail station announced
By Monty Miller Jr - Staff Writer - Denton Record Chronicle - Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Denton County Transportation Authority reached another milestone recently in its quest to bring a high-speed regional commuter rail system to Denton County when it announced the final site for a north Lewisville rail station.
The new site will be on the east side of Interstate 35E at Garden Ridge Boulevard. The other option was to put the station at FM407, but that proposition was defeated, said transportation authority spokeswoman Dee Leggett.
“It had been a toss up between 407 and Garden Ridge,” she said. “But, what really tipped the scales for Garden Ridge was the city of Lewisville and the city of Highland Village both wanted it at Garden Ridge.”
Only the site has been approved as of now, Leggett said. The design phase is ongoing and should last through 2007 and into 2008, with construction beginning by spring 2009.
The final design and construction timetable ultimately will depend on the Texas Department of Transportation’s plan to expand I-35E, Leggett said.
Lewisville Mayor Gene Carey said the Garden Ridge location was the optimum.
“That’s where our hearts kind of lay,” he said. “It’s close to the lake and that’s a big economic area for us and Highland Village.”
The DCTA has already announced there will be two stations in Denton. One will be in downtown, most likely in the area east of Bell Avenue between Sycamore and Hickory streets, and the second in the south somewhere between Denton Regional Medical Center and Golden Triangle Mall along I-35E. The sites have not yet been finalized
Two other stations are planned for the Lewisville area as well — one in the city’s downtown and another on the city’s south side.
A sixth station is planned for Carrollton, where the DCTA rail will hook up with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system.
Since 2002, the transportation authority has been studying the effect that a passenger rail system would have on Denton County, and in 2003, voters approved a one-half percent local sales tax to fund public transportation projects.
The transportation authority’s ultimate goal is to develop a commuter rail line between Denton and Carrollton that will connect to the DART line that stops in Carrollton. The line is meant to alleviate traffic congestion on I-35E and improve air quality.
Transportation authority officials hope to begin rail service to Lewisville as early as 2010, with service to Denton not likely until 2013.
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The Denton County Transportation Authority reached another milestone recently in its quest to bring a high-speed regional commuter rail system to Denton County when it announced the final site for a north Lewisville rail station.
The new site will be on the east side of Interstate 35E at Garden Ridge Boulevard. The other option was to put the station at FM407, but that proposition was defeated, said transportation authority spokeswoman Dee Leggett.
“It had been a toss up between 407 and Garden Ridge,” she said. “But, what really tipped the scales for Garden Ridge was the city of Lewisville and the city of Highland Village both wanted it at Garden Ridge.”
Only the site has been approved as of now, Leggett said. The design phase is ongoing and should last through 2007 and into 2008, with construction beginning by spring 2009.
The final design and construction timetable ultimately will depend on the Texas Department of Transportation’s plan to expand I-35E, Leggett said.
Lewisville Mayor Gene Carey said the Garden Ridge location was the optimum.
“That’s where our hearts kind of lay,” he said. “It’s close to the lake and that’s a big economic area for us and Highland Village.”
The DCTA has already announced there will be two stations in Denton. One will be in downtown, most likely in the area east of Bell Avenue between Sycamore and Hickory streets, and the second in the south somewhere between Denton Regional Medical Center and Golden Triangle Mall along I-35E. The sites have not yet been finalized
Two other stations are planned for the Lewisville area as well — one in the city’s downtown and another on the city’s south side.
A sixth station is planned for Carrollton, where the DCTA rail will hook up with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system.
Since 2002, the transportation authority has been studying the effect that a passenger rail system would have on Denton County, and in 2003, voters approved a one-half percent local sales tax to fund public transportation projects.
The transportation authority’s ultimate goal is to develop a commuter rail line between Denton and Carrollton that will connect to the DART line that stops in Carrollton. The line is meant to alleviate traffic congestion on I-35E and improve air quality.
Transportation authority officials hope to begin rail service to Lewisville as early as 2010, with service to Denton not likely until 2013.
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