3/8/2016

Rail News: Passenger Rail

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) yesterday announced its new five-year master plan for transit, which calls for improving existing service and expanding service to new areas to meet demand, among other recommendations.



Adopted by The T's board last month, the plan notes that the agency's current service level falls short of other cities the size of Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to improvement and expansion of existing service, the plan calls for:

• developing a frequent transit network;

• developing premium services such as commuter rail, streetcar, bus rapid transit;

• developing outlying transit centers;

• providing better passenger facilities;

• improving access to transit;

• improving first- and last-mile connections;

• developing more conveniently located park-and-ride lots; and

• improving information and branding.



"The goals of the plan are to provide compelling and competitive transit service to help make Tarrant County more livable and to support continued economic growth," said Paul Ballard, The T's president and chief operating officer, in a press release. "This plan offers the opportunity to create a system that people will use because it gets them where they want to go, when they want to go, in a comfortable environment."



Transportation options will become increasingly important as the region's population growth and traffic congestion continues, he added.



The T's master plan is consistent with the city's Master Thoroughfare Plan and the North Central Texas Council of Governments' 2040 Mobility Plan, agency officials said.



"This is a critical juncture in our ability to develop a system that will be successful over the long term," said Ballard.