Author: Laura Hanna

Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is delighted to invite all of our North Texas residents to join us on Saturday, Dec. 3, for a train ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus to the 2022 Toyota Dallas Holiday Parade.

 

Since 1987, the Dallas Holiday Parade has brought love, life and joy to the hundreds of thousands of spectators who enjoy the parade each year. This year’s sponsors include Toyota of North America, AT&T, the AT&T Discovery District and the Adolphus Hotel.

 

Santa and Mrs. Claus will join TRE riders for the special holiday ride to this year’s festivities. Each train ride will end at EBJ Union Station with live musical performances and promotional giveaways, as well as photo opportunities with the Claus Family.

 

TRE will offer three opportunities to ride to the parade this year. With stops at each of the 10 stations between Fort Worth and Dallas, we invite everyone to join us for a fun and festive ride with plenty of time to spare to enjoy the parade.

Visit the TRE website for more details.

(FORT WORTH, TX – Nov. 22, 2022) – TEXRail’s long-term parking options have been increased to help riders traveling to DFW Airport for holiday destinations. Five of the TEXRail stations already have an average of 20 spots for long-term parking, and now an additional 15 spaces are available for overflow parking needs.

Thanksgiving week is peak travel time, and parking lots will begin to fill up more quickly as holiday travel increases. Please allow an extra 10 minutes to find parking when utilizing one of our TEXRail parking options, and ensure you arrive at your respective ticket counter two hours prior to scheduled departures.

Long-term parking options:

• Fort Worth T&P Station
• North Side Station
• Mercantile Center Station
• North Richland Hills/Iron Horse Station
• North Richland Hills/Smithfield Station

Customers may make reservations and payments on the Ace Parking app for Apple or GooglePlay. The cost is only $5 a day. Overflow parking will continue to be offered through Jan. 8. Trinity Metro is working with Ace to reflect the additional parking for customers.

For questions about the app, completing payments and where to park if all of the spaces are full, contact Darrin Smith, Ace parking account manager and site manager, at 214-724-6758 or dlsmith@aceparking.com.

To show our appreciation for military personnel who have served our country, Trinity Metro will offer free local rides to all veterans on Friday, Nov. 11.

All of Trinity Metro’s local services – including buses, TEXRail, ZIPZONE and ACCESS – are available on Veterans Day at no cost to veterans. To receive a free ride, show proof of service to your driver or train conductor.

Veterans Day began in 1947 as a way to honor veterans of all wars. The first celebration using that name occurred in Birmingham, Ala., and it featured a parade and other festivities to show support for veterans.

For questions about free rides on Veterans Day, call customer care at 817-215-8600.

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 25, 2022) – Trinity Metro convened a task force to evaluate ridership and develop plans to promote and encourage greater use of Trinity Metro’s services. The results of the task force were announced at the agency’s board of directors meeting on Monday.

“Trinity Metro is leading in Texas with 81% ridership recovery from pre-pandemic levels,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Andreski. “We want to keep that momentum going by finding more ways to engage riders and to generate excitement about public transportation.”

The Ridership Task Force came together over the course of 30 days to create goals and tactics for enhancing ridership throughout the next year. The first of the nine ideas will occur in January, when the agency celebrates a “Re-Grand Opening” event for TEXRail, which began operating on Jan. 10, 2019.

“This will be a fun way to celebrate TEXRail’s fourth anniversary and to generate excitement about riding the rails,” said Melissa Chrisman, the executive sponsor of the Ridership Task Force and vice president of marketing & communications. “TEXRail’s ridership continues to grow, and an event like this could generate interest from people who haven’t tried it yet.”

Another event will be tied in with the Spring Service Change. Trinity Metro modifies schedules twice a year, and customers may not always be aware of the changes or understand that their feedback and the need for increased efficiencies spur the updates. To share information and answer questions, the agency will have a designated day when representatives will be out talking with customers and community partners to raise awareness and engagement.

Throughout the year, the agency will be working on bus stop and transit station improvements.

“Improving stops and stations is an importance step for customers,” Chrisman said. “Anything we can do to provide a better customer experience means they will be more likely to ride again.”

The agency also plans to implement a rewards/loyalty program, much like other businesses and restaurants offer. Participants would earn points and rewards to encourage their continued utilization of public transportation.

Some of the proposals are more behind-the-scenes efforts, including upgrading technology, mobile app integration and website improvements. Additional ideas include security initiatives and including veterans in the agency’s reduced fare program.

About Trinity Metro

Trinity Metro is a regional transportation system that provides public transportation to meet the mobility needs in Tarrant County. The agency offers connections throughout the North Central Texas region, providing passenger trips on buses, TEXRail, ACCESS paratransit, ZIPZONEs, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, vanpools and Trinity Railway Express (TRE), a 34-mile commuter rail line jointly owned and operated with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Trinity Metro is the sole owner and operator of TEXRail, a 27-mile commuter rail line that runs between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B.

(FORT WORTH, TX – Oct. 25, 2022) – TEXRail service will be modified on Tuesday, Nov. 1, while crews perform maintenance work, beginning at 3 a.m. During that time, a bus bridge will operate between North Richland Hills/Smithfield Station and Grapevine/Main Street Station.

Trains will run every 30 minutes for the duration of the disruption. Passengers should not experience any significant delays.

The first two trains of the day, which depart from North Side Station at 3:20 a.m. and from Mercantile Center Station at 3:31 a.m., will be canceled.

Construction will begin next week for the Pedestrian Safety Enhancements Project at Fort Worth Central Station. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, a contractor will install bidirectional LED flashing lights in the pavement of the pedestrian crossing to better draw attention to the tracks by Trinity Railway Express and Amtrak.

Lights will be placed in front of the crossing and on the sides of entrance points for pedestrians. Track 1 lighting will be set in the existing concrete. For Track 2, the contractor will remove the existing pavement, install lights and pour new concrete to secure the lighting. During the construction process, half of each side of the pedestrian crosswalk will be closed and then the other half will be closed after the first portion is completed.

In addition, Trinity Metro will install LED flashing-message monitor signs above existing station signs on Track 1 and Track 2 sides of the pedestrian crosswalk. An LED flashing sign on the pillar near the pedestrian crosswalk will also be installed.

Lights and signage will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Construction is expected to end on Friday, Nov. 25. TEXRail and bus routes will not be impacted by the work.