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Chris Cozby

PSCI 4v97.059

Dr. Lowry

May 22, 2015

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (aka The T)

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (popularly known as The T) is a transit agency

located in Fort Worth, Texas and primarily operates Fort Worth's bus system which also serves

several Fort Worth suburbs in Tarrant County. The T also partners with Dallas Area Rapid

Transit [DART] to operate the Trinity Railway Express [TRE], which offers commuter [express]

rail service from Downtown Fort Worth at Texas & Pacific [T&P] Station to Downtown Dallas

at Union Station. They also acquired the Tarrant County segment of the Cotton Belt rail line

from DART and named it the Tarrant Express [TEX] Rail corridor, which is a commuter

[express] rail line running from DFW Airport Station at Terminal B (northern terminus) through

Grapevine, North Richland Hills, and Haltom City before joining with the TRE at the Fort Worth

ITC and T&P Station (southern terminus).

Starting in 1974, the city's Traffic Engineering Department began coordinating bus

operations (The T 2015). In 1978, the city established the Fort Worth Department of

Transportation, which took over public transit operations (The T 2015). These operations

included the City Transit Service (CITRAN) and the Surface Transportation Service

(SURTRAN), with transportation services for the handicapped (MIPS) being added in 1979 (The

T 2015). On November 8, 1983, voters approved formation of The T (The T 2015). To finance

the system, voters levied a half-cent sales tax (The T 2015). The CITRAN, SURTRAN, and

MIPS services were folded into the new agency, along with carpool and vanpool coordination

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(The T 2015).The agency's first addition came on November 5, 1991 when the small suburb of

Lake Worth voted 344-206 in favor of joining the T (The T 2015). That prompted three more

elections on May 2, 1992 when Blue Mound, Forest Hill and Richland Hills had the issue of

joining the agency on the ballot (The T 2015). Blue Mound and Richland Hills voted in favor

while Forest Hill declined the measure nearly 2-1 (The T 2015). The T saw its first departure

when voters in Lake Worth approved a pullout in September 2003 (The T). Service withdrawal

became effective on March 21, 2004 (The T 2015). Lake Worth had previously tried to pull out

in 1996, but that measure failed (The T 2015). In 2001, the T saw its cooperation efforts with

Dallas Area Rapid Transit [DART] pay off as the Trinity Railway Express reached Downtown

Fort Worth at Texas and Pacific [T&P] Station (The T 2015). The other end of the line

terminates in Downtown Dallas at Union Station. The TRE commuter line has a daily ridership

of 9,100, and is the thirteenth most-ridden commuter rail system in the country (The T 2015).

The bulk of the T's current operations involve 36 local bus routes within the service area

(The T 2015). Most route through downtown Fort Worth, where the TRE has two train stations,

the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center [ITC] Station and the Texas & Pacific [T&P]

Station. The Fort Worth ITC Station is the major transit station for the T, as the TRE trains and

twenty bus routes meet (The T 2015). The T’s current bus routes are the following:

I. 1N North Main

II. 1S Hemphill

III. 2 Camp Bowie

IV. 3 South Riverside/Tarrant County College

V. 4 East Rosedale

VI. 5A Evans Ave

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VII. 5B Glen Garden

VIII. 6 8th Ave/McCart/Hulen

IX. 7 University Drive/Museum District

X. 9 Ramey/Vickery

XI. 10 Bailey/Sondra

XII. 11 Sylvania Ave/Mercantile

XIII. 12 Greenway

XIV. 14 North Riverside Drive/Northside Transfer Center

XV. 15 Stockyards Shuttle

XVI. 17 Central Ave

XVII. 20 Handley

XVIII. 21 Boca Raton

XIX. 22 Meadowbrook

XX. 24 Berry Street

XXI. 25 Crosstown

XXII. 26 Ridgemar Mall/Normandale

XXIII. 27 Como/Ridgemar Mall

XXIV. 29 TCU Frog Shuttle

XXV. 30 CentrePoint

XXVI. 32 Bryant Irvin

XXVII. 41 Richland Hills (Rider Request)

XXVIII. 46 Jacksboro Highway

XXIX. 57 Como/Montgomery Plaza

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XXX. 61 Normandale Express

XXXI. 62 Summerfields Express

XXXII. 63 North Fort Worth Park & Ride Express

XXXIII. 65 South Fort Worth Park & Ride Express

XXXIV. 66 Candleridge Express

XXXV. 72 Hemphill/Sycamore School Rd Express

XXXVI. Spur* E. Lancaster [Enhanced]

XXXVII. Molly the Trolley (Free)

The following table denotes the T’s buses in their bus fleet:

Fleet Number(s)

Year Manufacturer Model Engine Transmission Notes

101-165, 201-215

1973 Flxible 45096-6-1

2xx 2000 Orion 02.501 CNG

GMC 427 Allison AT-545

301-320 1975 Flxible 53102-8-1301-331 2001 New Flyer C35LF Cummins

L10GAllison B400R

332-343 2002 New Flyer C35LF Cummins L10G

Allison B500R

401-432 2002 New Flyer C30LF Cummins Westport C

Gas Plus

Allison B300R

501-513 1992 Flxible Metro 'C' CNG

(35102-6C)

Cummins L10G

Voith D863.2

514-527 1995 Flxible Metro 'E' CNG

(40102-6C)

Cummins L10G

Voith D863.2

551-558 2004 New Flyer C40LF Neoplan CNG Engine

ZF 5/6HP592C

701-733 1988 Flxible Metro 'B' (35102-6T)

Detroit Diesel 6V92TA

Allison V731

751-769 1992 Flxible Metro 'C' CNG

(35102-6C)

Cummins L10G

ZF 4HP590

801-835 1986 Flxible Metro 'A' Detroit Diesel Allison V730

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(35096-6T) 6V92TA875-878 1990 Flxible Metro 'B'

(35102-6T)Detroit Diesel

6V92TAAllison V731

881-883 1990 Flxible Metro 'B' CNG

(35102-6C)

Cummins L10G

ZF 4HP590

884-892 1991 Flxible Metro 'B' CNG

(35102-6C)

Cummins L10G

ZF 4HP590

The T, in conjunction with DART, operates the Trinity Railway Express [TRE]

commuter rail line from Downtown Dallas to Downtown Fort Worth (The T 2015). There is no

Sunday service currently on the TRE; although The T recognizes the need of full-weekly TRE

service (The T Master Plan 2015) The TRE’s vehicles include: 7 EMD F59PH model Diesel

Locomotives, 2 EMD F59PHI Diesel Locomotives, 25 Bombardier Bi-Level Coach Cars [up to 3

units per TRE Train with 1 unit as a control car], and 13 Budd Rail Diesel Cars [RDCs], if

needed. The TRE stations that The T operates are: Texas & Pacific [T&P] Station, the Fort

Worth Intermodal Transportation Center [ITC] Station, Richland Hills Station, Bell Station, and

Centreport/DFW Airport Station [fare zone boundary; Regional fare required to continue into

Dallas and Denton Counties]. The T is also constructing the Tarrant EXpress [TEX] Rail

Corridor, which is the Tarrant Co. segment of the Cotton Belt rail line with federal grant money.

The TEX Rail Corridor’s vehicles are 8 initial Stadler Rail 2/6 Multiple Diesel Units (MDUs),

with an option for up to 24 additional MDUs if demand grows. The proposed TEX Rail stations

are: T&P Station (shared with TRE), Fort Worth ITC Station (shared with TRE), North Side

Station, Beach Street Station, Haltom City Station, NRH-Iron Horse Station [to open at a later

time], NRH-Smithfield Station [to open at a later time], Grapevine-Main Street Station, DFW

North Station [connection to DART Cotton Belt Corridor], and DFW Airport Station @

Terminal B [connection to DART Cotton Belt Corridor]. The T is currently working on doubling

the sets of tracks on certain segments of the TRE from one track to two tracks to alleviate rail

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traffic and possibly accommodate future full weekly service; as well as constructing the TEX

Rail corridor through Federal Grant money.

The T also operates a vanpool/carpool service. A vanpool/carpool is a group of at least

seven people who share the costs of getting to and from work. These individuals usually live and

work near each other. Monthly fares will vary, depending on the origination point of the van and

the daily miles involved. Riders pay only for the portion of the trip they use. For instance, if the

service picks up riders in different parts of Tarrant County or other counties, it's possible for

some riders to pay more than others (The T 2015).

The last service The T offers is the Mobility Impaired Transportation Service (MITS).

The MITS service is The T’s equivalent to DART’s Paratransit service, and it offers door-to-

door transportation within the service areas of Fort Worth, Richland Hills and Blue Mound.

Trained drivers are available to assist passengers in boarding and alighting vehicles specially

designed to accommodate the mobility impaired (The T 2015).

However, The T has had very little growth in services despite Fort Worth and Tarrant Co.

being one of the fastest growing places in Texas (The T Master Plan 2015). The T’s strengths are

a core network of bus routes to and from Downtown Fort Worth [Local Bus routes]; Trinity

Railway Express [TRE] Commuter Rail service to/from Downtown Dallas; upcoming TEX Rail

service to/from DFW Airport at Terminal B; plus improvements based on available resources,

such as the Fort Worth ITC, Spur* service, Park and Ride facilities, and Molly the Trolley bus

service (The T Master Plan 2015). However, there are many weaknesses in The T’s current

system; for instance, limited funding for The T has constrained its growth over time (The T

Master Plan 2015). There is also very little service beyond the I-820 corridor, where the most

population growth has occurred (The T Master Plan 2015). Also, there are too many

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infrequencies in current bus and rail service; too little weekend bus and rail service; plus most

weekday local bus service ends too early [after 8 PM] (The T Master Plan 2015). There are some

challenges with The T’s system; for example, The T has a very difficult operating environment

because Tarrant County has mostly low density development (The T Master Plan 2015). Also,

poor pedestrian environment in many areas makes transit access more difficult (The T Master

Plan 2015). Despite all these difficulties, things are getting better because efforts are underway to

focus growth and development, which will enable transit to be more effective (The T Master

Plan 2015). However, there are lots of ways to potentially improve The T’s services and help

The T expand into more areas in Tarrant County. “Robust transit systems are built around a

network of fast and frequent services” (The T Master Plan 2015). For example in large cities,

“these are usually rapid transit [including light rail], supplemented with Bus Rapid Transit

[BRT], which uses buses with an island platform in the middle of the street adjacent to a lane

designated for those buses only [functions like light rail, without the need of overhead electric

wires, steel rails, and rail crossing signals] (The T Master Plan 2015). In some medium-

populated cities, these are usually LRT [light (rapid) rail] and BRT [Bus Rapid Transit],

supplemented with frequent bus lines; in other medium-populated cities, they are BRT and other

kinds of bus services (The T Master Plan 2015). A High-Capacity Transit Network needs to

provide high quality service; such as full weekly commuter [express] rail service on the TRE and

TEX Rail corridors, light [rapid] rail lines [like that of DART], heavy [rapid] rail lines, streetcars

[like the Dallas Streetcar operated by DART], full BRT on major streets, many more frequent

bus routes [like the Spur*] (The T Master Plan 2015). Another potential area for improvement is

more frequent service for longer timespans, because most existing service is not frequent and

does not run very late at night [until 8 PM] (The T Master Plan 2015). Another place to improve

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service is to expand bus services to more places that are not served within Tarrant County (The T

Master Plan 2015). Examples of which are crosstown bus routes which can connect to a Transit

Center or a Park and Ride facility; new longer Regional [Suburban] bus routes, which would

connect widely separated areas of Tarrant County by not going to or coming from Downtown

Fort Worth, and new Express [Non-Stop] bus routes [like the Metro Arlington Xpress, or MAX]

(The T Master Plan 2015). However, most current T bus services are very slow [except the

Spur*], but service can be made faster by making alignments more direct, consolidating stops,

and implementing transit priority (The T Master Plan 2015). Transit can be made faster through

the use of: exclusive bus lanes, peak period only bus lanes, Queue jump lanes, Transit signal

priority, and the use of freeway shoulders by express buses; as well as more comfortable bus

facilities with better amenities, such as shelters, benches, real-time arrival and departure

information, etc. (The T Master Plan 2015). Real-time information is very important to a

commuter because it allows riders to better time their arrival at stops and reduces wait times; it

also eliminates the uncertainty often associated with transit use – did I miss the bus, is it still

coming, etc. (The T Master Plan 2015). “Real-time information can be provided via websites,

smartphones, and text [SMS] messaging” (The T Master Plan 2015). “The T just implemented

real-time information service for the Spur* and Molly the Trolley routes, and is working to

implement this service throughout their entire bus system” (The T Master Plan 2015). If light rail

was implemented in Tarrant County, there should also be rail station feeder bus routes that can

serve areas between 2 or 3 rail stations [like those of DART]; plus shuttle buses from major

attractions in Tarrant County [i.e. Rangers Ballpark, AT&T Stadium, the Six Flags Over Texas

amusement park, and the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park], to nearby light rail, TRE, or

TEX Rail Stations; as well as shuttle buses to college campuses and medical centers in Tarrant

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County [like the MAX (UT Arlington) or TCU Shuttle; as well as JPS Hospital, the Texas Health

[Harris Methodist and Arlington Memorial] hospitals, etc. Another area where The T can

improve is its fare structure; where instead of upgrading a ticket or a pass like they do now, they

should base their fares on the length of time for a trip and just consolidate the Local Bus [The T

buses only], the Reduced Local Bus [The T Buses only], and the TRE 1 Zone [The T Buses and

TRE service from T&P Station to Centreport/DFW Airport Station] 2-hour fares into a full Local

and Reduced Local [bus and train] 2-hour ticket at a set price for use in all of Tarrant County on

both buses and trains, and keep the Regional and Reduced Regional fare levels for trips into

Dallas County and Denton County [DART and DCTA] at their current costs, respectively.

Tickets and Passes for The T can also be purchased on the GoPass application for iOS and

Android smartphones, since DART, The T, and DCTA all use that application on their respective

transit systems as part of a regional cooperation agreement between all three transit agencies.

In spite of proposed improvements, The T still has a long way to go before it can measure

up with DART. The T currently does not have a light rail system unlike DART. Also, most buses

are local Downtown Fort Worth routes and are very slow and infrequent as compared with

DARTs current bus system. The T does have 1 completed commuter rail service shared with

DART, the Trinity Railway Express [TRE], along with the Tarrant County segment of the Cotton

Belt line, called the Tarrant Express [TEX] Rail Corridor, which is still under construction as of

now. Also, with The T’s Master Plan, currently all options to improve The T’s network are on

the table and a final decision could be made by this December (The T Master Plan 2015).

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References

The T master plan - document review. 2015 [cited June 1 2015]. Available from

http://www.tmasterplan.org/project-downloads/.

The T master plan - public meeting presentation. 2015 [cited June 1 2015]. Available

from http://www.tmasterplan.org/project-downloads/.

The fort worth transportation authority (the T) - official site. 2015 [cited June 1 2015].

Available from http://www.the-t.com/.

The T master plan. 2015 [cited June 1 2015]. Available from

http://www.tmasterplan.org/.