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DART outlines sustainability plan, cites renewable-power contract and phased fleet approach
Summary
Dallas Area Rapid Transit told the Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee on Nov. 13 that it has signed a 10-year contract supplying 100% renewable electricity for facilities and light rail, is pursuing mobility-hub pilots and will renew most of its fleet with CNG in the near term while continuing limited electric-bus pilots.
Yaela Harrison, assistant vice president for sustainability and facility planning at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), told the Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee on November 13 that the transit agency has signed a 10-year electricity agreement providing renewable power for its facilities and light-rail system and is pursuing on-the-ground pilots to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Harrison said DART’s sustainability framework rests on three pillars—community, agency and planet—and described steps the agency is taking under each. “We signed a 10 year electricity contract that is now 100% renewable energy source,” she said, noting the contract reduces greenhouse-gas emissions from light rail and station operations. She also described community programs such as small-business outreach, station community gardens and a pilot deployment of EV chargers at two stations.
On vehicle technology, Harrison said DART completed a transition to compressed natural gas (CNG) buses in its prior procurement cycle and currently operates a small electric-bus pilot (seven electric buses). She said DART plans to buy the next round of CNG buses because, in part, the electric-bus market and charging infrastructure are not yet mature enough to cover DART’s large service area. “We don’t have a lot of vendors right now,” she said, adding that agency planners will keep testing other technologies, including hydrogen pilots elsewhere, and hope to advance electrification when feasible.
DART staff emphasized the agency’s emissions-reduction target—about a 25% cut from current levels—driven by a combination of newer engines for commuter rail, more efficient CNG buses and future vehicle and operational changes. Harrison described mobility hubs as an approach to reimagining station areas—repurposing underused parking for community uses, micro-mobility, EV chargers and first/last-mile connections to attract riders.
Committee members asked operational questions about EV charger enforcement, regenerative braking on newer vehicles and public-restroom management at transit centers; DART staff said pilots, customer surveys and coordination with fleet engineers will inform policy and design. Harrison invited feedback on the agency’s sustainability snapshot online and said DART is updating its sustainability plan for publication later in the year.
The presentation concluded with DART staff describing planned shelter upgrades that include real-time arrival information and coordination with member cities on station-area design and pedestrian safety.
The committee did not take a formal action on DART’s presentation; staff encouraged members and residents to provide feedback through DART’s published surveys and online materials.
