DART says Silver Line on track with stations nearly complete; downtown Carrollton stop about 95% finished

DART officials told the Carrollton City Council that the Cotton Belt/Silver Line transit project is approaching the finish line, with trains in testing and stations largely built but operational details still being refined.

At the July 22 meeting, Dee Leggett, DART executive vice president and chief development officer, said 100% of bridges and pedestrian bridges are complete and that station work across the corridor is between about 90% and 98% finished; she said Downtown Carrollton is approximately 95% complete. "We're months close to opening the Silver Line," Leggett said, adding that vehicles are in corridor testing and the project team has installed more than 280,000 linear feet of track.

Leggett laid out DART’s near‑term schedule and operational plan: the authority expects to present board approvals in August and, barring changes, is targeting fiscal first quarter 2026 (a window Leggett described as roughly October–December) for starting revenue service. Service would generally run early morning through late night with trains every 30 minutes in peak periods and hourly off‑peak; DART said it will refine schedules after observing ridership and budget constraints.

The agency also discussed safety and operational controls that remain to be implemented. Leggett said quiet zones are not yet in effect and crossings are still being approached with horns; the agency is coordinating with cities and railroads on quiet‑zone engineering and said crossings will be protected by personnel (flaggers) while systems are validated. "We are working diligently with the city to hopefully get those quiet zones implemented by the end of the month," she told council.

Leggett also reviewed plans for the Downtown Carrollton historic depot. DART has issued a concept plan for adaptive reuse that includes public spaces, tenant‑hosted retail or cafe concepts, historical displays and shared workspace for DART and Carrollton Police. On the depot timeline, Leggett said she expects design and tenant fit‑outs to proceed through task orders under existing IDIQ contracts and estimated 12–18 months for tenant‑ready completion once budgets and designs are finalized.

Council members asked about station parking, overnight parking policy and the exact timing of the depot and service launch. Leggett said most stations have adequate parking except Knoll Trail, which is intended as a walk‑up station and relies on nearby Addison parking; DART is developing a parking policy and may propose fees later. On depot solicitation and tenant selection, Leggett said DART and city staff are discussing options to make the space accessible to small businesses.

The presentation closed with an offer from DART to return with additional updates; council and staff signaled continued coordination on quiet zones, trail connections and depot design.

Next steps: DART expects to bring its operating plan and related board actions to its August meetings and to continue coordinating with Carrollton on quiet‑zone design, trail easements and depot reuse planning.