Big, Big Deal For North Texas -- Grapevine -- Nothing About The Bakken -- August 31, 2016

Updates

February 19, 2018: TexRail is moving along very, very quickly. Three very visible things happening now, getting ready for TexRail to open by the end of 2018 --

• new rail and rail ties are being laid down; the ties are made of a composite that will end the clickety-clack of the train; smooth as silk
• new rail crossings for roads and highways -- between Ft Worth and DFW being done simultaneously
• the new trains are arriving -- photo below -- this train is on the rails at the south end of Main Street, Grapevine, TX, where the Grapevine Depot will be

Original Post 

Grapevine is at the apex of an equilateral triangle with the other points being Ft Worth and Dallas (or DFW). It is also the center of three major highways:

• US-114: Los Angeles to Dallas
• US-121: Ft Worth to Plano/Frisco
• US-360: Grapevine to Arlington

One could argue it is the "northern gateway to DFW."

After ten years of construction on "integrating" those three major highways, the next step in area transportation is about to begin. This is a huge, huge story for those of us in the Ft Worth area.

Two years from now a new light-rail system will be in operation connecting Ft Worth with DFW with intermediate stops in two suburbs, including Grapevine.

From a press release:

Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s celebrated three groundbreakings for the TEXRail project in one day. The celebrations were held at Fort Worth’s historic Texas & Pacific Station, which will be the beginning of the route, as well as in Grapevine and North Richland Hills. The new 27-mile commuter rail line will run from downtown Fort Worth to the airport.

TEXRail’s line will feature four stations in Fort Worth and five other stations, including two in North Richland Hills and one in Grapevine.

The rail line will operate 44 diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger trains per day. Service will begin in late 2018, and more than 9,000 daily riders are expected to use the line by the end of the first year of operation. That number is projected to grow to 14,000 riders by 2035.

This will be the "Acela of the South."

Comment: too many stops runs the risk of making for a very lengthy commute. Two minutes at each stop could add as much as 20 minutes to the Forth Worth travelers beginning at the first stop.