June 28, 2023 - TRA Newswire -

Dallas and Austin are the latest recipients of federal funding for their urban rail systems. 

Dallas Area Rapid Transit has been awarded a $25 million RAISE grant (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) from the U.S.D.O.T. that will fund construction of a 5.2 mile parallel train along the Silver Line. 

CapMetro in Austin won an $18 million RAISE grant that will add a second track and additional platform for the Red Line at Plaza Saltillo eastward a half-mile to Matamoros Street. The agency will also spend over $13 million of its own funding for other improvements. 

Both grants were announced as part of a nearly $100 million basket of infrastructure projects across Texas. 

The Dallas Silver Line, now under construction, will have a shared use trail from Meandering Way in Dallas to Shiloh Road in Plano and will allow users to connect at several stations. The grant had the backing of the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The Silver Line is a 26-mil regional rail project that stretches from Plano, across northern Dallas County to DFW International Airport and is expected to commence service by 2026.

The Capital Metro double-tracking project will add a second platform and new signals at the Plaza Saltillo station, along with safety improvements at five intersections and new bike and pedestrian enhancements. The project is in the preliminary development stage and is expected to be completed in 2026.  

“Using the funds in President [Joe] Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain and more.”\

In a statement, CapMetro President/CEO Dottie Watkins said “CapMetro is always working to improve public transportation in our region, and this grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will help us make great strides to connect our community even more with the Red Line and through better bike trail coordination around Central Texas. This grant wouldn’t be possible without the support of our congressional delegation across Central Texas.”