DART seeks public input on new light-rail alignment

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will host three public hearings next week to solicit feedback on the alignment of a second light-rail route through downtown Dallas.

Known as the D2 Project, the new route is aimed at increasing system capacity, improving operational flexibility and serving new markets, DART officials said on the project's website. The agency's board is expected to select a preferred alignment this summer.

Members of the public may attend meetings June 17 and 18, or submit feedback on DART's online discussion board.

Initial studies for the D2 project began in 2007 to identify and evaluate the range of transit improvements in the the city's Central Business District.

The agency is considering implementing D2 as part of a Program of Interrelated Projects, which is being advanced under the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant program.

The larger group of projects include the first phase of D2, platform modifications to 28 stations on the Red and Blue Lines to accommodate longer trains and the Central Dallas Streetcar Link to connect the Dallas Streetcar to the McKinney Avenue Trolley.