North Texas Mass Transit Prepares For Super Bowl Influx
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Super Bowl Host Committee expects more than 100,000 out-of-state visitors in the Dallas – Fort Worth Area during Super Bowl Week.
That's good for the local economy, but not for the local commuter, said Dr. Barabara Becker, dean of the School of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington.
"If we had a perfectly coordinated, integrated system, that would be ideal," she said. "But we don't, so there will be heavier reliance on the automobile."
North Texas isn't known for its mass transit. Yet this region has the daunting task of moving tens of thousands of visitors from point 'A' to point 'B.' So how will that happen?
Dallas Area Rapid Transit spokesman Mark Ball said DART will maintain a normal schedule during Super Bowl week, but will have buses and trains on standby.
"We've got buses that will be held in abeyance that we will pull out immediately if we need to provide service," Ball said. "In addition, our rail yard is just ten minutes away from the Dallas Convention Center."
T Buses in Tarrant County will also keep their same schedule. However, Fort Worth's free trolley, known as Molly, will add hours and service to its normal Downtown route to include the Stockyards and Cultural District.
The Trinity Railway Express will be the only mass transit option for fans traveling back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth. The TRE is also joining forces with both the DART and The T by offering fans an MVP Transit Pass, which is valid from the Thursday before the big game through Super Bowl Sunday. The $30 pass provides unlimited use of those three transit options.
Fans staying in Dallas who wish to take mass transit to the game will have to jump on the TRE toward Arlington. Fans in Fort Worth will also take the TRE to Arlington. Those trains will take passengers to the Centreport Station, located off of U.S. 360 and Trinity Blvd.
Fans will then take a seven-mile shuttle bus to the Ballpark in Arlington for dropoff and pickup.
The TRE trip to Centrepoint is free for all. But fans without the MVP pass will pay $20 for the round-trip shuttle.
Finally, an army of taxicabs will hit the streets to pick up any slack. Every cab company in North Texas will have its entire fleet on the roads, which could mean visitors and locals alike might be able to hail a cab instead of calling and waiting.
