Higher toll prices. More congestion. Increased rideshare fares. Traffic in North Texas isexpected to worsen during the World Cup as more than 1 million people are expected to converge on the city over the nine match days. With millions of dollars being invested in the region’s public transportation systems, regional officials are encouraging match attendees to use the provided trains and buses.
No direct rail lines to Dallas Stadium are available. However, game-goers can still get to the matches using public transportation in both Dallas and Fort Worth. DART estimates the overall journey will take attendees approximately 1.5 hours from their starting destination.
“For each of the nine games, we expect 10-12,000 people will take the Trinity Railway Express and use the transit system,” said Karla Windsor, a senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Here’s how to get to the stadium.
Step 1: Before boarding onto the TRE, attendees first need to arrive at the designated station using connecting lines, ride hailing or parking in the station’s lot.
Step 2: Fans coming from Dallas can get on the TRE at Victory Station in downtown Dallas and ride to CentrePort Station, near DFW International Airport. Fort Worth attendees can get to CentrePort Station by jumping on the TRE at Fort Worth Central Station located downtown. The trains will run every 30 minutes on match days.
In case trains reach capacity, charter buses will be available at Victory Station and TRE’s West Irving Station on match days and will take game-goers to the stadium’s bus hub. The charter bus service begins five hours before kickoff and will run three hours after the match ends.
Step 3: Once match attendees have arrived at CentrePort Station, they will get off the platform and head to the first of two shaded areas. There, fans will wait until directed to the second shaded area – a ticketing checkpoint where officials and volunteers conduct a “soft-check” before allowing passengers to line up for the free charter buses routed to the stadium’s bus hub.
The council said the shaded areas are approximately 15 degrees cooler than standing in the sun. Food trucks and water stations will be parked near the tents.
Windsor said volunteers from both the east and west successfully tested out the transportation plan.
“They said it’s a little bit like Six Flags, going through all the lines,” Windsor said.
ADA-accessible shuttles will be parked near the first shaded area and will take ticketholders with wheelchairs or mobility issues directly to the stadium.
Step 4: However, those not on ADA charter buses will be dropped off at the stadium’s bus hub, which is half a mile walk from the entrance area.
On the return trip, riders will be separated by their destination, Dallas or Fort Worth, and directed onto appropriate trains.
Regional officials said they have been planning for the World Cup for years. Confident that they have considered every possibility, they are ready for the games to begin.
“If I had something I was worried about, I would have put it in the plan,” said Michael Morris, the council’s director of transportation. “It’s all in the plan.”