The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of

mass transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

(

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

), operated by the

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In , the system had a r ...

system. Along with the , it is one of the original modern rail lines in Dallas.

Route

The southern terminus of the line is currently at

UNT Dallas The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) is a public university in Dallas, Texas. It opened in 2000 as a branch campus of the University of North Texas, offering upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in multiple disciplines. In 20 ...

in south Dallas at University Hills Blvd. just south of Camp Wisdom Rd. The line runs north, under the

Dallas Convention Center The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCCD) (formerly Dallas Convention Center) is a convention center in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas. The "Dallas Memorial Auditorium" was a standalone multipurpose arena, de ...

and through downtown Dallas. After leaving Mockingbird, the line diverts to the northeast towards

White Rock Lake White Rock Lake is a reservoir located in north-east Dallas, Texas (United States). The lake was formed by damming White Rock Creek, which today widens into the lake before continuing south out of the spillway and emptying into the Trinity Ri ...

. The line then goes north and then east into

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

, finally ending in

Rowlett Rowlett (, traditionally ) is a city in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and an eastern suburb of Dallas. The total population estimate is 73,270 in 2021. It is a growing, upsc ...

History

The rail line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium ca ...

in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird in 1999, in preparation for the future extension to Garland. On September 24, 2001, the Blue Line extended to White Rock, just northwest of

. On May 6, 2002, the Blue Line was extended to the LBJ/Skillman, just beyond LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635). It was extended to Downtown Garland on November 18, 2002, and to its current northern terminus, Downtown Rowlett, on December 3, 2012.DART Blue Line launches long-awaited rail service in Rowlett
. Retrieved December 3, 2012. DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, approved in October 2006, calls for the Blue Line to be extended south beyond Ledbetter to the

University of North Texas at Dallas The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) is a public university in Dallas, Texas. It opened in 2000 as a branch campus of the University of North Texas, offering upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in multiple disciplines. In 20 ...

, as well as a branch along Bonnie View road to

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Bet ...

and the SouthPort Intermodal Terminal. The plan also includes a new

Lake Highlands Lake Highlands is a neighborhood constituting most of Northeast Dallas. The neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions served by Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD public schools, as well as an array of private schools. Geography Overview ...

station near Skillman Street and Walnut Hill Lane, which opened as DART's second infill station in December 2010. In October 2014, construction began for a 2.6-mile extension south from Ledbetter station to the

, adding two new stations to the line: Camp Wisdom and

. The extension opened for service on October 24, 2016.

Future plans

The D2 Subway is planned to be implemented in 2028 and will reroute the Blue Line off of the downtown transit corridor and over the former Green Line's western segment to terminate at North Carrollton/Frankford station.

Stations

Daily Service

:''Listed from north to south''

Special Event Service

Deep Ellum Deep Ellum is an American neighborhood composed largely of arts and entertainment venues near downtown in East Dallas, Texas. The name is based on a corruption of the area's principal thoroughfare, Elm Street. Older alternative uses include De ...

(Also served by ) *

Baylor University Medical Center Baylor University Medical Center (Baylor Dallas or BUMC), part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is a not-for-profit hospital in Dallas, Texas. It has 1,025 licensed beds and is one of the major centers for patient care, medical training and rese ...

(Also served by ) *

Fair Park Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex in Dallas, Texas, United States, located immediately east of downtown. The area is registered as a Dallas Landmark and National Historic Landmark; many of the buildings were constructed for th ...

(Also served by ) *

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a ...

(Also served by , )

Deferred

* Knox-Henderson Station in Uptown (Dallas)

Gallery

File:Akard Station.jpg, Southbound Blue Line train at Akard File:White Rock Station.jpg, Passengers at White Rock

References

External links

Map of the Blue Line
(to scale)
Full DART System Map
{{Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail lines Passenger rail transportation in Texas Transportation in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex