Downtown Garland station (previously North Garland Transit Center and Garland Central Transit Center) is a

DART light rail The DART light rail system serves the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas. It is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, covering : the , the , the , and th ...

station located in

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. In contemporary times ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The station is located at the intersection of Fifth Street and Walnut Street in Garland's historic downtown district, two blocks north of the town square. The station serves the . The station is also a major bus transfer facility for the city, with bus routes connecting to the South Garland and

Lake Ray Hubbard Lake Ray Hubbard, formerly Eastern Dallas Lake or Forney Lake, is a freshwater impoundment (reservoir) located in Dallas, Texas in the counties of Dallas, Kaufman, Collin, and Rockwall, just north of the City of Forney. It was created by t ...

transit centers.

History

North Garland Transit Center/Garland Central Transit Center

In 1975, the city of Garland announced plans for an express bus service between Garland and

Downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...

, which would be operated by the Dallas Transit System. As part of the service, the city built a 312-space

park-and-ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

lot in downtown Garland at the corner of Fifth and Walnut, which opened on November 3, 1975. The Dallas Transit System was superseded by

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 ...

(DART) in 1985, which named the lot the North Garland Transit Center. In 1988, DART offered the city $355,609 to purchase the transit center. In 1993, DART built a new station building, expanded the parking lot to 530 spaces, and renamed the facility to Garland Central Transit Center.

Downtown Garland

In 1999, DART started construction on a northern extension of the Blue Line, which at the time ended at

Mockingbird station SMU/Mockingbird station (originally Mockingbird station) is a DART light rail station in Dallas, Texas. The station is located at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway ( US 75). The station serves the , , and . ...

. Garland Central Transit Center, which was located near the Missouri–Kansas–Texas right-of-way used for the project, would be the northernmost station on the extension and would open in 2002. Construction on Garland Central's rail platforms began in 2000. In anticipation of the extension, the city of Garland renovated two performing arts venues in its downtown area. On November 18, 2002, the Blue Line extension to Garland Central Transit Center was completed, and the station was renamed to Downtown Garland. The station made Garland the second suburb with DART Light Rail service (after Richardson) and the first to have a station in its downtown area. The station served as the northern terminus of the Blue Line until 2012, when the line was extended to Downtown Rowlett. In 2005, Garland mayor Bob Day proposed moving the station one block west to Sixth Street. The proposal would bring the station closer to downtown retailers, and it would also allow for the creation of a bridge over a Kansas City Southern corridor, which was necessary to expand the line to Rowlett. DART eventually determined a bridge design that would not require moving the station.

Proposed Amtrak connection

In 2001,

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

announced plans for the ''Crescent Star'', a daily passenger train between

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The route would pass through Garland using the MKT corridor used by the Blue Line. The city of Garland proposed an Amtrak station at the corner of First and Walnut, approximately east of the DART station, to allow for transfer between the two services. The ''Crescent Star'' was originally planned to start service in 2001, but it was delayed due to funding issues. The proposal would remain dormant until 2023, when Amtrak applied for a newer grant. It is unclear if the Amtrak station in Garland is still being considered.

References

External links

Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Downtown Garland Station
{{Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations navbox Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 2002 Transportation in Garland, Texas 2002 establishments in Texas Railway stations in Dallas County, Texas Blue Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)