The Dallas Streetcar — the new trolley running from downtown Dallas to Bishop Arts — is about to hit another milestone. On Monday, August 29, the service will officially open two new stops that represent phase two of the route, and it will also step up the frequency.

For those who simply can't wait, the service is offering a sneak peek beginning Monday, August 15.

In preparation for the new expanded service, cars will run every 20 minutes, seven days a week, between Union Station and Beckley; they've currently been running every 30 minutes.

The first trip leaves Union Station at 9:30 am and arrives at Beckley at 9:36 am.

In the other direction, the initial morning trip departs Beckley at 9:53 am and reaches Union Station at 10 am.

The final evening trip times remain unchanged: 11:30 pm outbound from Union Station, and 11:53 pm inbound from Beckley.

These are obviously not commuter trains.

Passenger service to the two new stops — 6th Street and Bishop Arts — will begin with a preview run during regular service hours on Saturday, August 27. The extended route officially launches on August 29, when new Route 723 Bishop Arts Service begins operation over Davis, Polk, Jefferson, and Zang. This will replace that portion of D-Link. The new 723 will be a full-fare local DART bus route.

Although this is a city of Dallas project, the deployment has been overseen by DART. Spokesman Mark Ball calls this sneak peek a trial run to get riders and train operators into the routine.

"The train has been running every 30 minutes, and we've only had one train running," Ball says. "With the shorter schedules, we're increasing the number of trains to two."

One other unique aspect is that the streetcar has a dual power source, in that it runs on both cables and battery. Its source of power comes from cables until it crosses over the bridge, when it reverts to battery power.

"Dallas is one of the first cities in the country to run on dual power," Ball says.