March 23, 2026 - TRA Newswire -

When tens of thousands of FIFA World Cup fans from around the world arrive in North Texas this coming June, they will find some expanded transit options to get them around Dallas-Fort Worth. Maybe transit not as robust as in their home countries, but local and regional agencies are working hard to keep people moving from events to entertainment venues to hotels. 

Arlington, one of the largest cities in the U.S. with no scheduled rail or bus service, will prepare as best it can to handle an estimated 100,000 daily visitors that will descend on the region. 

Transportation plans will center around two primary hubs on matchday travel, Dallas' Victory Station and Fort Worth Central Station. TRE trains will be expanded to four cars and the agency is bringing in extra equipment leased from the Minnesota Northstar commuter rail line, which recently ended service. Two of Northstar's locomotives and eight bilevel Bombardier coaches will be in use for the games. TRE trains will be able to carry up to 584 passengers per trip, more than 10 bus loads at a time.

Trinity Railway Express(TRE) will be the backbone and will add extra cars on its trains between Dallas and Fort Worth to stop at CentrePort Station where a shuttle service will take fans to Arlington's AT&T Stadium, renamed Dallas Stadium for the games. In addition, some 50 chartered buses will operate on Interstate 30.

TEXRail already operates 30 minute headways between terminal B at DFW Airport and to downtown Fort Worth's Central Station.  

DART rail will see an increase in traffic to and from Love Field as well as on the Orange Line to DFW Airport terminal A. The Green Line will operate three-car trains with 10-minute frequencies between Dallas Victory Station and Fair Park, the official FIFA Fan Festival site. 

The North Central Texas Council of Governments previously approved $800,000 for the historic McKinney Avenue trolley line for operations and maintenance, anticipating higher ridership. 

Ahead of the World Cup games, Congress approved a $10 million grant for public transit improvements in North Texas. It's the second largest grant among cities hosting World Cup events, behind the New York metro's $10.3 million allocation. Cities will be able to request reimbursement for transportation planning and operating expenses after subtracting the revenue collected at the fare box. The grant only covers regularly scheduled service like TRE, DART and TEXRail trains, and does not cover chartered services.

The lack of any rail service to and from Arlington's entertainment district again points out the fact that roads will continue to be clogged with vehicles. A transit solution in Arlington would mean better, faster and cleaner transportation options with train service available to handle large events like football and baseball games on a regular basis. 

Graphic credit: Google maps