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DART presents FY2026 budget pressures; Rowlett to see minor peak-period headway change
Summary
DART staff told the Rowlett council the FY2026 operating budget is proposed to grow 5.1% (4.1 points from new Silver Line service), with service-change reductions pared from $60M to $25M; for Rowlett a lateral-route peak headway would widen from 15 to 20 minutes.
Representatives from Dallas Area Rapid Transit briefed the Rowlett council on the agency’s FY2026 proposed budget and service recommendations.
Jamie Adelman, DART’s EVP and chief financial officer, said the agency faces major cost drivers including the General Mobility Program (GMP) allocation (~$42.6 million), start-up costs for the Silver Line and World Cup-related operational needs. "Our operating budget is increasing by 5.1% this year," Adelman said, noting that about 4.1 percentage points of that growth are tied to adding new Silver Line service. DART staff said they reduced potential service-change scenarios from a worst-case $60 million to a recommended $25 million in savings; they emphasized that paratransit and GO Link services are unaffected.
For Rowlett specifically, DART proposed a single change in peak lateral service: a five-minute change in peak headway from 15 to 20 minutes. Staff said weekend service frequencies will not change and that some local connections (for example to Firewheel Town Center) will be improved effective in September. DART offered one-on-one follow-up meetings for city staff and said the board will review budget milestones in late August and September for possible adoption.
