Blue Line (DART)

Blue Line
Blue Line train at Downtown Rowlett
Overview
Status	operational
Owner	DART
Locale	Dallas, Texas
Termini	Downtown Rowlett (north) UNT Dallas (south)
Stations	25
Service
Type	light rail
System	Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Operator(s)	DART
History
Opened	June 1996
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Highest elevation	at grade, elevated, underground
Route map Template:Infobox rdt

The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas (USA), operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the Red Line, it is one of the original modern rail lines in Dallas.

Route

The southern terminus of the line is currently at UNT Dallas in south Dallas at University Hills Blvd. just south of Camp Wisdom Rd. The line runs north, under the Dallas Convention Center and through downtown Dallas. After leaving Mockingbird, the line diverts to the northeast towards White Rock Lake. The line then goes north and then east into Garland, finally ending in Rowlett.

History

The rail line was part of the initial launch of DART's light rail service in 1996. At the time, the line only ran from Illinois to Pearl in the northeast corner of downtown. In 1997, the Blue Line was extended south to Ledbetter and was extended along the Red Line to Mockingbird, in preparation for the future extension to Garland.

On September 24, 2001, the Blue Line extended to White Rock, just northwest of White Rock Lake. On May 6, 2002, the Blue Line was extended to the LBJ/Skillman, just beyond LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635). It was extended to Downtown Garland on November 18, 2002, and to its current northern terminus, Downtown Rowlett, on December 3, 2012.

DART's 2030 Transit System Plan, approved in October 2006, calls for the Blue Line to be extended south beyond Ledbetter to the University of North Texas at Dallas, as well as a branch along Bonnie View road to Interstate 20 and the SouthPort Intermodal Terminal. The plan also includes a new Lake Highlands station near Skillman Street and Walnut Hill Lane, which opened as DART's first infill station in December 2010.

Stations

Daily Service

Listed from north to south

Station	Other lines	Opened	Notes
Downtown Rowlett		2012	Northern terminus
Downtown Garland		2002
Forest/Jupiter		2002
LBJ/Skillman		2002
Lake Highlands		2010
White Rock		2001
Mockingbird		1997	Northernmost transfer for Red and Orange Lines
Cityplace		2000
Pearl/Arts District		1996	Easternmost transfer for Green Line
St. Paul		1996	Transfers made to the M-Line (which terminates two blocks north)
Akard		1996
West End		1996	Westernmost transfer station for Orange and Green Lines
Union Station		1996	Transfer to   Trinity Railway Express, Amtrak, and Dallas Streetcar
Convention Center		1996
Cedars		1996
8th & Corinth		1996	Southernmost transfer for Red Line
Morrell		1996
Illinois		1996
Kiest		1997
VA Medical Center		1997
Ledbetter		1997
Camp Wisdom		October 24, 2016
UNT Dallas		October 24, 2016	Southern terminus

Special Event Service

• Deep Ellum (Also served by Green Line, Orange Line)
• Baylor University Medical Center (Also served by Blue Line, Orange Line)
• Fair Park (Also served by Green Line, Orange Line)
• Victory (Also served by Green Line, Blue Line, Orange Line)

South Oak Cliff extension

In October 2014, construction began for a 2.6-mile extension south from Ledbetter station to the University of North Texas at Dallas, adding two new stations to the line: Camp Wisdom and UNT Dallas. The extension will open for service on October 24, 2016.

Deferred

• Knox-Henderson Station in Uptown

Gallery

• 
  Southbound Blue Line train at Akard
• 
  Passengers at White Rock

External links

Template:Attached KML/Blue Line (DART)

KML is from Wikidata

• Map of the Blue Line (to scale)
• Full DART System Map