DART shut LRT service down on Feb. 14. Photo courtesy DART
Most of the rail transit in Texas fell under Old Man Winter’s one-two punch of snow and bitter cold over most of the state, as it was gripped by historically low temperatures. As temperatures warmed up (into the 60s during the week of Feb. 21) and the snow melted, rail transit has returned to full service in Texas and as far north as St. Louis.
Trinity Railway Express (TRE), which runs trains between Dallas and Fort Worth, was the first provider in the area to come back, running a Saturday schedule on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19. (The line does not normally run on Sundays.) Trains are now running on weekday schedules. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) ran a Saturday schedule on Feb. 19 and continued to run through the weekend, and is now running full weekday service, too. The Denton County A-Train, which connects with DART, has returned. TEXRail in Fort Worth, run by Trinity Metro, also started running full (half-hourly) service Feb. 22, after modified (hourly) service for four days.