Trinity Metro is a regional transportation system that has been helping people get around Tarrant County for over 35 years. With connections throughout the North Texas region, the agency has provided ten million passenger trips annually on buses, vanpools, paratransit service and two commuter rails.
Trinity Metro’s extensive network seems limitless: The TEXRail is a 27-mile commuter rail offering service through Northeast Tarrant County, from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B. The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is a 34-mile commuter rail owned and operated jointly with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), providing rail service from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas via DFW.
Originally known as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA, and also as The T) since 1983, it was decided to rebrand the bus services as Trinity Metro in 2018. While the Trinity Metro primarily operates the region’s bus service, it also partners with Denton County Transportation Authority to operate bus service to Denton on the North Texas Xpress.
Transportation service has come a long way since the early 1970s, when bus services in Fort Worth were provided by a private company, the City Transit Company. The city’s Traffic Engineering Department began coordinating bus operations in 1974, establishing the Fort Worth Department of Transportation, which took over public transit operations that included the City Transit Service (CITRAN) and the Surface Transportation Service (SURTRAN). The SURTRAN was jointly owned by Dallas and Fort Worth, carrying passengers to and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with stops in Dallas, Union Station, Fort Worth and Arlington. Transportation services for the handicapped, or MITS, were added in 1979. Ultimately, all the services were folded into the new agency, along with carpool and vanpool coordination, in 1983.
It was recently announced that the Trinity Metro has agreed to allow DART to run its planned new Silver Line rail cars into the existing TEXRail station at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B. The DART Silver Line will run 26 miles, from the airport to Carrollton, Addison, North Dallas and Plano, eventually enabling passengers to connect to Fort Worth’s medical district, as well.
The service will provide ten stops through a total of seven cities, cutting diagonally across the Metroplex from southwest to northeast, and making the trip much faster and more convenient than driving. The anticipated date of completion for the DART Silver Line is 2023.
To help people whose livelihood was impacted by COVID-19, Trinity Metro has provided nearly 40,000 free rides to job seekers since beginning the program last September. Throughout the pandemic, many Tarrant County residents suffered job losses and have been looking for new opportunities.
“We are very aware that many people are still seeking employment, so are continuing to provide free rides to job fairs and interviews on all of our services,” said Wayne Gensler, vice president and COO of bus and paratransit. “We want to lend a helping hand and support our community.”
Wherever you need to go in Tarrant County, the Trinity Metro has a way to get there. Whether you need to catch a flight to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, enroll in school, watch your child graduate, go to a doctor’s appointment, grocery shop or fun shop, apply for a job, get to work or just explore, there’s a way to get a ride on the Trinity Metro.
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