March 15, 2026 - TRA Newswire -

A study is back in progress to look at proposed rail service north of Dallas, between Plano and McKinney. 

The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments voted this week to approve resumption of the McKinney Passenger Rail Corridor Study.

The process of hiring consultants for the study was halted in November when some of the cities within the Dallas Area Rapid Transit network scheduled withdrawal votes from DART. After Plano came to a funding agreement with DART that also offers member cities more seats at the table, the study is back on. 

The project consultant is expected to be hired by the NCTCOG Executive Board in May. 

There are several options to be studied in the proposed extension. Dan Lamers, P.E.. Senior Program Manager Transportation Planning for the Council of Governments said the project could extend DART's light rail Red Line north or it could be an appendage of the recently opened Silver Line, which is a heavy rail regional service from Plano to DFW International Airport. 

While DART owns the right-of-way between Plano and McKinney, DART CEO Nadine Lee said that cities north of Plano are not in the current DART service area and that “conversations at the regional level” will be needed to move the project past the study stage.

The potential rail extension would cover a fast-growing segment of Collin County and would help to alleviate traffic congestion while improving connectivity in the region. 

Additional details on the study are available at this link: https://www.nctcog.org/getContentAsset/567fbbf8-da9b-4ff3-a73e-c2e3c442c584/dfc3d011-8f63-43f6-9ed8-4b444333a1d0/agendapacketrtc03122026.pdf?language=en-US

Graphic credit: NCTCOG