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DART leaders brief Richardson council on Silver Line growth, governance and funding
Summary
DART officials told Richardson—s council that the Silver Line is seeing growing weekday ridership after an opening-weekend spike and outlined governance and funding changes following recent withdrawal elections; city leaders pressed for local ridership dashboards and coordination on safety and crossings.
DART officials updated the Richardson City Council on service trends, governance changes and funding priorities, saying the new Silver Line continues to see ridership gains while the agency retools governance after recent withdrawal elections.
"On the opening weekend we saw over 15,000 trips," said interim DART chief Trey Walker, describing the early surge around the corridor—s October opening and the two-week fare-free introductory period. "Weekday ridership settled in below that but we—re seeing month-over-month increases, with weekday trips approaching two thousand in May." He said the system is adjusting service and marketing as riders learn regional connections.
Why it matters: Richardson is a member city on the DART system and will share in a planned sales-tax reallocation (the GMP) that DART leaders say will return money to member cities over six years. Council members pressed DART for clearer, city-specific ridership metrics and for assurances about safety and capacity as event-driven demand grows.
Board and funding changes: Randall Bridal, board chair, summarized a governance proposal that would expand the board and apportion seats so each city has at least one direct appointee; staff described a GMP reallocation that starts at roughly 5% and ramps toward 10% of sales-tax receipts over six years, with an anticipated regional match. Bridal told the council Richardson was not part of the withdrawal election process and therefore remains eligible for the reallocations.
Operations and capital: DART said it has invested roughly $23 million for event-related security and service enhancements and is pursuing a rolling-stock replacement and shelter upgrades systemwide. Walker pointed to local projects delivered with Richardson staff, including pedestrian improvements around Arapaho Station and the installation of an arch over US 75 that required overnight lane closures for construction.
Labor and contingencies: Officials acknowledged a labor dispute in paratransit operations involving Transdev and a union. "Transdev has an obligation for continuity of service," DART staff said, adding they have contingency plans and would substitute drivers if needed to preserve paratransit service.
Council response and follow-ups: Council members welcomed the service improvements and asked for outreach materials, graphics and a city-specific dashboard. "We can get those graphics out," Walker said. DART committed to work with Richardson on pedestrian crossings, safety, and an upcoming dashboard intended to show boardings and deboardings by city.
What—s next: DART leaders said they will continue coordination with member cities as governance and funding proposals are finalized ahead of the next legislative session and will return with more data and follow-up briefings as requested.
