The Red Line is a
light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
line in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
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 ...
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. It began operations in June 1996, and is one of two inaugural light rail lines in the
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 ...
system alongside the .
Route
Westmoreland to Downtown
The southwestern terminus of the Red Line is at
Westmoreland Station in southwest Dallas at the intersection of Illinois Avenue and Westmoreland Road. The southwestern part of the Red Line runs on a private right-of-way with grade crossings. Just before
8th & Corinth, the line merges with the . The joint Red and Blue Line tracks then rise on to a viaduct that crosses Cedar Creek, the Trinity River, and a freight railroad line. At Lamar Street, the line turns north at a wye where a pair of tracks leading to one of two train yards on the system diverges. The Red and Blue Lines continue north, crossing the Landry Freeway, travelling under the
Dallas Convention Center
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCCD; formerly the Dallas Convention Center) is a convention center in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas.
The "Dallas Memorial Auditorium" was a standalone multipurpose aren ...
and stop at
Dallas Union Station. After crossing over Main Street, the lines turn east as they merge with the and and enter
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 ...
. At this point, the lines leave their right of ways and operate on a dedicated street-running right of way.
Downtown to Parker Road
The four DART lines share a common section of track through downtown, with four stops: West End, Akard Street, St. Paul Street and Pearl Street.
After Pearl Street, street running ends and the lines return to private right-of-ways. The four lines diverge at a wye, with the Green Line diverging to the southeast while the Red, Blue and Orange Lines turn north, cross the
Good-Latimer Expressway
The Good-Latimer Expressway is a street in the central part of Dallas, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It begins in south Dallas as an exit off U.S. Highway 175 (US 175) at that highway's western terminus at Interstat ...
at grade, and descend into a long tunnel under the
Central Expressway (
US 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...
), with a stop at
Cityplace. The lines exit the tunnel at
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...
. The Blue Line diverges from the Red Line and heads east, while the Red and Orange Lines turn north.
The Red Line then travels through
north Dallas
North Dallas is an area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (United States). The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority ...
,
Richardson and
Plano. Most of the line runs at grade level with grade crossings, although portions of the route run on elevated viaducts. The line terminates at the
Parker Road Station at Park Boulevard near Central Expressway in
Collin County.
History
Much of the line was constructed on the former
Texas Electric Railway
The Texas Electric Railway was a historic interurban railroad that operated from Dallas, Texas, to Denison, Corsicana, and Waco. It began operation in 1908 and through the merger of several companies became the largest interurban railway operat ...
route. That service ceased operations in 1948.
The Red Line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail testing and service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Westmoreland Station to
Pearl Station in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Red Line was extended to
Park Lane Station, and was the first DART line to use the 3.5-mile twin tunnels. On December 18, 2000,
Cityplace Station, the southwest's first commercial subway station was opened along the Red Line underneath
Cityplace Tower in the tunnel under the Central Expressway.
In 2002, the Red Line extended into Richardson, ending at
Galatyn Park Station, extending the light rail service over its original length. Later that year, the line was opened to the
Parker Road Station, an additional of track, its current terminus.
Plans for expansion

The current northern terminus of the Red Line is
Parker Road station in
Plano. The further north suburb,
Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...
, is eligible to join DART. However, active Red line service is unable to expand further north because Allen is currently unable to levy the 1% sales tax required for DART membership.
The
North Central Texas Council of Governments
The North Central Texas Council of Governments or NCTCOG is a voluntary association of governments in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
As of 2023 its ranks currently include 16 counties, 169 cities, towns, and villages, 19 school districts, and ...
(NCTCOG) in a 2022 meeting discussed the possibility of expansion of the Red Line corridor from Plano through Allen to
McKinney
McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano, Texas, Plano and Frisco, Texas, Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about ...
. Either the Red Line or the
Silver Line could be extended north. The study proposed seven stations between the current Parker Road Station and the hypothetical northern terminus Downtown McKinney Station. The extension would be 18 miles long, cost between $700 million and $900 million to construct, and is estimated to have 7,000 to 8,000 riders a day by 2045.
Stations
Daily Service
:''Listed from north to south''
Special Event Service
*
Deep Ellum Station (Served regularly by )
*
Baylor University Medical Center Station
Baylor University Medical Center station is a Dallas Area Rapid Transit, DART light rail station located near Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas on the . The station opened on September 14, 2009, as one of four original stops on ...
(Served regularly by )
*
Fair Park Station (Served regularly by )
*
Victory Station (Also served by , )
Image:Cedars Station.jpg, Cedars Station in the Cedars neighborhood of south Dallas
South Dallas is an area in Dallas, Texas. It is south of Downtown Dallas, bordered by Trinity River on the west, Interstate 30 on the north, and the Great Trinity Forest to the south and east. In recent years the City of Dallas and organization ...
Image:DART Red Line @ Union Station.jpg, Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
in the Reunion District of downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
File:DART's West End Station in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas.jpg, West End Station in the West End Historic District of downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
References
External links
DART - Red LineFull DART Rail map
{{Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail lines
Passenger rail transportation in Texas
Railway lines opened in 1996
1996 establishments in Texas