Red Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

Much of the line was constructed on the former Texas Electric Railway route. That service ceased operations in 1948.

The Red Line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail testing and service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Westmoreland Station to Pearl Station in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Red Line was extended to Park Lane Station, and was the first DART line to use the 3.5-mile twin tunnels. On December 18, 2000, Cityplace Station, the southwest's first commercial subway station was opened along the Red Line underneath Cityplace Tower in the tunnel under the Central Expressway.

In 2002, the Red Line extended into Richardson, ending at Galatyn Park Station, extending the light rail service 9 miles (14.5 km) over its original length. Later that year, the line was opened to the Parker Road Station, an additional 3 miles (4.8 km) of track, its current terminus.

DART-owned corridor from Parker Road Station to Downtown McKinney for possible future rail service expansion

The current northern terminus of the Red Line is Parker Road Station in Plano. The further north suburb, Allen, is eligible to join DART. There has been ongoing discussion of possible expansion into Allen. DART owns an abandoned railroad corridor in Allen, immediately north of Parker Road Station, in anticipation of future northbound expansion. However active Red line service is unable to expand further north because Allen is currently unable to levy the 1% sales tax required for DART membership. Allen already levies sales tax at the maximum rate of 8.25% set by Texas law. Redirecting 1% sales tax for DART membership would require scrapping funding for the Allen Economic Development Corporation and the Allen Community Development Corporation. Another possibility for funding is working with the Texas Legislature to secure an alternate funding mechanism, such as a county-wide tax, however this has not yet been accomplished. Creation of a separate regional system adjacent to DART has also been discussed.[1][2]

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) in a 2022 meeting discussed the possibility of expansion of the Red Line corridor from Plano through Allen to McKinney. Either the Red Line or the Silver Line could be extended north. The study proposed seven stations between the current Parker Road Station and the hypothetical northern terminus Downtown McKinney Station. The extension would be 18 miles long, cost between $700 million and $900 million to construct, and is estimated to have 7,000 to 8,000 riders a day by 2045.[3]

• Full DART System Map