DALLAS – Dallas Area Rapid Transit is still working to get back to normal after a harrowing fire on board one of its trains carrying 40 passengers on Wednesday.
DART’s board of directors got an update from the transit agency CEO on Friday with an estimate of when operations will be back to normal.
DART repairs continue 
The latest:
Monday is when DART hopes to have all trains back on schedule. Much more damage in the tunnel than can be clearly seen.
DART CEO Nadine Lee opened the scheduled board workshop with an update to members and the public about the serious situation.
To determine what went wrong, a go-team from the National Transportation Safety Board was brought to Dallas.
Crews are working to repair what’s damaged in the rail system and the tunnel, and others are attempting to recover the transit agency’s ability to move people across downtown and the central business district through its rail line system on schedule. It’s been an all-hands-on-deck effort.
The backstory:
Trouble sparked flames on a train that was partially in the light rail tunnel underneath Ross Avenue at Central Expressway.
Forty passengers were on board when that incident happened.
Dallas Fire-Rescue helped evacuate passengers and administer medical attention. In addition to fire engines, seven rescue units were sent to check on passengers.
DART says 15 people were evaluated and six were transported to the hospital. People were checked out for anxiety, breathing difficulty, and minor burns.
SKY 4 could see the hard work Friday involving research, repair and recovery.
What they’re saying:
“Rail operations faced two major disruptions on Wednesday, which impacted service to 10 stations and our teams responded immediately, deploying bus shuttles to support our customers,” said Lee.
“Our incredible operations, maintenance of way and maintenance teams along with support across the agency have worked tirelessly in 12 to 16-hour shifts to keep service moving and accelerate repairs,” said Lee. “Thanks to their dedication, we plan to continue this hybrid service through Sunday with full rail service expected to resume Monday morning.”
What’s next:
The CEO told board members she was grateful for the work of DART employees during this challenging time. DART hopes it’s back to more of the traditional trouble and normal challenges Monday morning.
Temporary DART service changes
While repairs are underway over the weekend, DART has posted the following changes to their rail service on their website:
Central Business District (CBD) Access: Power has been restored to the CBD.
Train shuttles are operating between:
- Victory and Pearl/Arts District
- EBJ/Union and Pearl/Arts District
Bus bridges are available to connect:
- Pearl/Arts District and SMU/Mockingbird
- Pearl/Arts District and Deep Ellum
DART staff are available at the following stations to assist riders:
- EBJ/Union, Victory, Deep Ellum, Cityplace/Uptown, SMU/Mockingbird, and throughout the CBD
Service by Line:
Red Line
- Westmoreland – EBJ/Union: For service beyond, transfer to train shuttle and then bus bridge to SMU/Mockingbird
- Parker Road – SMU/Mockingbird: Continuing normal operations within modified system service.
Blue Line
- UNT Dallas – EBJ/Union: For service beyond, transfer to train shuttle and then bus bridge to SMU/Mockingbird
- Downtown Rowlett – SMU/Mockingbird: Continuing normal operations within modified system service.
Orange Line
- DFW Airport – Victory: For service beyond, transfer to train shuttle and then bus bridge to SMU/Mockingbird
- Parker Road – SMU/Mockingbird: Continuing normal operations within modified system service.
Green Line
- N. Carrollton/Frankford – Victory: For service beyond, transfer to train shuttle and then bus bridge to Deep Ellum
- Deep Ellum – Buckner: Continuing normal operations within modified system service.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 coverage at a DART board meeting.
Dallas Area Rapid TransitTransportationTrafficDowntown Dallas