Maiden voyage - Silver Line
Posted by Hobbes898@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 122 comments
We did the maiden voyage. Here are some pictures! We gathered pins from each station. There is a DJ at each station! Also, there is food trucks at each station! It was a lot of fun!
dudewithTheBatman@reddit
Why are there so many white people?
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
Its in north Dallas/suburbs?
airmark3@reddit
Sweet. Now I need a reason to take it. I suppose DFW but I don't fly much any more.
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
Its great for getting between addison, downtown Carrollton, UTD, and also Citiline.
Jamesatwork16@reddit
How long to the airport from the first stop?
unique162636@reddit
55 mins. vs a 37 min drive with $5 of tolls. Or 45 mins without tolls. The problem will just be the frequencies (one train per hour basically).
whip_lash_2@reddit
It's one train per 30 mins. on weekdays. I don't know that it'll be on time, however, because parts of it are single tracked. I had to stop both directions today to let a TexRail and another Silver Line pass
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
Theres very minimal single tracking. It shouldn't cause delays longer than maybe 15 seconds due to section length.
SameSadMan@reddit
I can deal with 1 train per hour IF it is dead nuts on schedule.
Eruththedragon@reddit
In my (admittedly limited) experience, DFW trains are always on time-- probably because the system is new and has a smaller maintenance backlog, and because its so small that there's fewer areas for cascading failures.
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
The fort worth trains (which I assume you mean by DFW) also have complete priority along their route, brand new rolling stock, and significant time buffers in their schedule. The DART light rail has a few sections (namely downtown Dallas) where they actually have to deal with traffic lights, so are significantly less consistent (although they still generally arrive on time and come every 15-30 minutes). The Silver line will be much more similar to TexRail than the light rail lines, so should be similarly reliable barring insane ridership levels like it experienced on the first day.
ToddtheRugerKid@reddit
I'd rather sit down and do whatever for an hour than drive 37 minutes at rush hour.
xSGAx@reddit
or pay the uber to just dick around on my phone
lizzzgrrr@reddit
Where does it stop at DFW? Terminal parking lots suck if you’ve got a lot of luggage, and I’m trying to envision bringing a couple suitcases on DART and then ?having to lug them up/down stairs?
Schobbish@reddit
It stops at terminal A. There’s a 2-3 minute walk to the building and then you take the elevator up to departures. For checking in bags to a non-AA flight you would have to take Terminal Link. All the stations are at ground level so there are ramps if necessary. The trains themselves are level boarding so no stairs or ramps to get in.
southpalito@reddit
this line seems to end at terminal B
Schobbish@reddit
Gah I get them mixed up
lizzzgrrr@reddit
Thank you!
fakejacki@reddit
Plus parking cost if you’re flying out. So it all evens out. Especially if your car is safer at home versus airport parking.
Phynub@reddit
37 min or 45… without traffic.
Hobbes898@reddit (OP)
We took it from Addison to Shiloh Road. It took 31 mins
stewartdesign1@reddit
Dart said it was running at slower speeds for the opening day.
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
Too many Dallasites fail to appreciate how lovely DART cars are. There need to be more lines stretching to all sectors of the city.
Dallas is a good city with the potential to rank among the great cities of the world. All the great cities ARE WALKING CITIES. Pedestrian culture is a crucial element of a thriving and vibrant metropolis. Don't let the car companies and car lovers hold Dallas down.
redditisahive2023@reddit
Are you comparing apple to apples? All of the walking cities I have been to in the US and Europe are much older and have space constraints.
Is there another US city similar to Dallas that has more walking?
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
Chicago is probably the closest. No space constraints and founded around the same time, but it grew well before Dallas. The only ones comparable would be Houston, Austin, Atlanta, and some of the Florida cities. Not exactly a giant pool of peers.
Bbkingml13@reddit
Hi I’m disabled and will never be able to live anywhere that isn’t a car centric city.
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
Handicapped accessible public transportation serves the needs of approximately 400,000 disabled residents. My aunt has been wheelchair-bound for half of her adult life in NYC yet has never owned a car and has never felt she needed one. Disabled persons there don't feel stranded in one of the world's largest cities.
Bbkingml13@reddit
Not all disabled are healthy but wheelchair using people. Many disabled people are extremely limited by chronic illness
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
Understandable, you should have the option to drive. Cars exist even in the most walkable cities in the world. But for the 99% where chronic illness isn't an issue, it shouldn't be the only option.
YOLOSELLHIGH@reddit
They have A LOT of work to do if it wants to be ranked with the great cities. It starts with some visionary politicians and community involvement, but it can be done, and faster than people might think.
Trunk-Yeti@reddit
November 12th, 2025 is the next Dallas City Council meeting. The represented public is able to comment at every City Council meeting. You should go speak your mind on the issue to the politicians that influence and make the decisions you are concerned about.
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
Absolutely. What baffles me is that it's not as if Dallas is some poor backwater town. There's serious money and resources in Dallas. The poverty lies in that lack of vision and in the absence of compassion for your fellow citizens. People say, "Hey, I'm a car person. I'm never going to walk. Why should MY TAXES go to diversifying infrastructure for the sake of losers?"
YOLOSELLHIGH@reddit
For sure, they could easily do it with the amount of money is in the city! We just need community members to actively get involved in politics
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
The city has progressed on several fronts in the last 40 years or so. And that was achieved in the teeth of staunch opposition.
YOLOSELLHIGH@reddit
Definitely needs to go much faster than 40 years for largely incremental progress. And can with the right leadership and community involvement
veggiepocket@reddit
I am moving to Dallas because I don’t want to leave TX but want the same feel of living in DC with the metro and other public transit. I’m excited.
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
You're making the right choice. The city is bursting with potential and opportunities. And while it does have its fair share of rough neighborhoods, I feel much safer in Dallas than I ever felt in NYC.
lizzzgrrr@reddit
I wish Dallas was more walkable but I don’t even want to walk across a parking lot when it’s 90°+. I’ve lived in a couple of big cities with fantastic public transportation and that makes a world of difference
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
The heat is a factor in a city's walkability, of course. Part of how that is mitigated is through flexible, mixed-use zoning laws which reduce the necessity of a car. Also, safe and accessible sidewalks, shade trees and other considerations alleviate heat exposure and make walking a healthy, viable and desirable option.
I lived in Paris and New York city. There are bodegas and grocery stores on virtually every block, so you'd look and feel foolish for getting into your car for a grocery run.
Meanwhile, whole neighborhoods in Dallas are food deserts, where you take your life in your hands just to walk to the nearest convenience store, which is likely on a "Stroad". A city doesn't have to be that way.
Kellosian@reddit
Cars can also make a city hotter by contributing to the Heat Island Effect. Large highways and parking lots can make cities hotter by absorbing loads of sunlight during the day, along with car exhaust and car engines just being hot
lizzzgrrr@reddit
Boy howdy we needed you when the city was being developed! I moved here from NYC and the first time I thought I’d pop out and grab a sandwich on my lunch break was also the last time 😂😂😂
FourScores1@reddit
You should look at the overlay of the Paris or UK metro overlapped on the city of DFW and it makes a little more sense why it’s much more difficult but yeah, just means we need more rails.
I_CUM_2_SCAT@reddit
Holy shit my neighbors are in pic 5.
They are retired people, I’m not surprised they are riding the train in there free time. (They live in a 2 million dollar house)
Consistent_Leg_6765@reddit
Where are the homeless people?
Dependent_Store3377@reddit
@Consistent_Leg_6765 the homeless are busy gangbanging your mommy
GUIACpositive@reddit
It'll be covered in piss and trash in no time...
SadLime4869@reddit
It’s truly amazing to me that after all these years, Dart hasn’t figured out that if they gated off the platforms, it would help limit the homeless problem and make them more money. It’s not going to magically fix it all but certainly helps. And then your normal run of the mill person is more willing to ride it knowing their safety isn’t always at risk.
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
It would limit the homeless problem, but it wouldn't save money. It'd actually cost a shit ton since the majority of DART stations are designed with open access in mind. That idea (open access, which was decided at the inception of the system) is antithetical to the purpose of fare gates and makes it incredibly costly to retroactively install them.
patmorgan235@reddit
It wouldn't be too difficult at the elevated stations (which a lot of stations are), the at-grade stations, especially in downtown would be more challenging.
Unlucky-Watercress30@reddit
A decent number of stations on the green and red lines north of downtown are, but a majority are at grade. DART did an analysis of how much it would cost to fare gate the system and the price tag ran into the hundreds of millions. Its not worth sinking up to (or even over) half of an entire years operating budget into the effort for what would likely be very minor gains in ridership and safety.
saxmanB737@reddit
They have figured it out though. The cost benefit of it is too high. It would just cost more to collect fares than they would bring in. Most transit agencies around the world don’t have gates either. Just need more people on the train to reduce the perception of crime.
BCMBCG@reddit
Sounds pretty discriminatory man /s
GUIACpositive@reddit
Agreed. I used to take dart to DFW all the time. I had to get off at 10pm one night because the entire train was a homeless camp. People lighting up joints....no security... It's was a mess. I took an Uber the rest of the way home.
bigless27@reddit
People love riding trains so let’s build more trains! Simple right?
whiteholewhite@reddit
Dame cars as the Tarrant county TEXRail, which is super awesome
RC-5@reddit
If you get off to stop at a food truck you have wait an hour to catch the next one?
too374@reddit
Write you local city politicians! In 2006 it was designed to run with 20 min frequency but has been scaled back bc of budget cuts and chronic under investment across the system.
Fragrant-Mission7388@reddit
30 minutes today, and 30 minutes during Rush Hour
tomahawk311@reddit
I give it a week till it looks like the dart
slothypisceswitch@reddit
Gentrification of public transport is crazy. Meanwhile, people who really depend on DART are being shafted.
desilyvahn@reddit
Love to see this.
sienrfsh@reddit
Very cool. As long as it stays out of Frisco/Allen/McKinney.
NVC541@reddit
I hope they add a line there soon, tired of driving an hour after work to get there
SameSadMan@reddit
It would be a shame if a light rail line disrupted the natural beauty of strip malls, mcmansions, and Superduties that haul groceries home from Costco.
Kellosian@reddit
It is the God-given right of every middle-class suburbanite to go to Dallas for every major event but be utterly terrified that someone who lives in Dallas might have the potential of going to the suburbs!
Right_Letterhead_120@reddit
USB-A? 2015 called and wants its charging ports back.
NowWeGetSerious@reddit
Don't worry, they'll break and get destroyed in 1 week. It's Dallas after all
octovoh@reddit
Whos "They" tho? Lol
NowWeGetSerious@reddit
Texans. Dallas/dart users.
I'm not calling any group out, just the state as a whole, just humans as a whole. There's a reason why we can't have anything nice. We are idiots
Kellosian@reddit
Other countries can have functioning public goods, it seems that Americans in specific just don't respect property that isn't explicitly theirs.
datdouche@reddit
Some of the riders who frequent DART have years before they’ll be using USB-C. It’s also the only access to charging they have. So how about a little sympathy?
thebruns@reddit
Phones have come with usb c for over 10 years at this point
southpalito@reddit
dunno why this is downvoted.
ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit
So we should design our systems/infrastructure around people who only have access to charging on trains? I would think there are significantly better places to put money to help people in need than DART trains…
darkpatri0t@reddit
I think you're giving the designers too much credit. They probably looked at the cost of a USB-A charging port setup being pennies cheaper than the USB-C setup and literally just chose what was cheaper. Look at the photos, it's an ugly industrial rugged looking design that screams "I want you to be as least comfortable as possible" while you stand holding a cold railing, or sit on hard plastic chairs with .25" of padding.
Plus, the people in charge or designing train interiors I imagine still use plenty of USB-A.
HappierShibe@reddit
USB-A is absolutely the right call, it is the most compatible format, and more importantly for public use- the most durable and easiest to repair standardized connection.
southpalito@reddit
how many people have an A to C cable? even ancient android phones moved to C many years ago.
Furrealyo@reddit
If you want a serious answer:
USB-A is power-by-default. 5.25V @ 500mA (minimum). It’s always on, no matter what you plug in.
USB-C is a negotiated power strategy. There is no power present until both sides agree what it should be. This is a problem for “dumb” things that need power.
Dangerous_Battle_603@reddit
Okay, but how does that help here? That means that USBC would be a safety improvement over this, while being more compatible with modern devices
Furrealyo@reddit
Well, to start, USB-A was introduced in 1996. Thirty years ago. That’s a lot of devices that would excluded from a Type-C powering solution (without a special cable).
Also, the VAST majority of power banks still use USB-A to charge. A Type-C socket would exclude all of these by default.
Wanna charge fast? Type-C
Wanna charge everything? Type-A
SocomPS2@reddit
You went from vast majority of power banks use USB A to charge everything with USB A. Well we know that’s not true, you ain’t charging everything with USBA. In fact you ain’t really charging anything… read on.
USBA at your default wattage (above) = 2.65w. What powerbank are you charging at 2.65w? Silver Line from Shiloh to the airport is 56 minutes. 2.65w is a tear drop of charge on a powerbank. Plug 2.65w into a laptop or iPhone and use them would do nothing in terms of charge the battery. In fact the battery would still deplete. 🤣 Even at 12w max USBa is slow.
Furrealyo@reddit
You’re not wrong (it’s slow), but the 2.65W in the example is the spec minimum. I’d bet money the trains are 3A, which is ~3100mAh for your 56min journey.
This is ~85% charge for an iPhone 17 when you need to use this power bank. Infinitely better than nothing.
supremeMilo@reddit
That’s not a serious answer… usbc can constantly supply 5V and be in spec.
Furrealyo@reddit
No. Power consumption by an attached device is limited to 1PU (power unit, 100mA for USB2, 150mA for USB3) until negotiation is complete.
The TypeC specification requires that all UFPs (upstream facing ports) signal power requirements via the CC1/CC2 pins. These pins don’t exist in the TypeA connector.
One can certainly use a TypeA-TypeC adapter or cable, but these have the CC pins internally strapped to ground via 2 5.1K (1%) Ohm resistors (typically). This gets you the TypeC baseline power delivery of 7.5W.
darkpatri0t@reddit
Thanks, learned a few things about USB spec today!
Oh, and anyone who would argue with someone such as yourself, with expert level USB spec knowledge, has reading comprehension issues they should address.
Furrealyo@reddit
You’re welcome! Have a great weekend.
supremeMilo@reddit
You are mixing legacy and usbc specifications; you can have cc resistors on the USBC port and get 5V for effectively the same price as a USBA port.
James-the-Bond-one@reddit
Thanks, I had no idea.
No-Rule-5631@reddit
Also- I wouldn’t ever charge my phone on something that can easily hack your phone smh 🤦
darkpatri0t@reddit
Throw a USB condom in your bag (Google it, it's a real thing!).
darkpatri0t@reddit
Throw a USB condom in your bag (Google it, it's a real thing!).
TexasBaconMan@reddit
No shit.
businessrenegade111@reddit
tried one of the ports...they didn't work
ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit
My first thought as well. Maybe do both if you have to
Apprehensive-End9358@reddit
It was an awesome time!! Love the support and that so many people showed up for DART!
MrBizzniss@reddit
The dart trains are so slept on
thedrunkknight@reddit
Looks really nice
rhastaman27@reddit
I thought it didn’t open until January
Paradox1989@reddit
Been building it for 5 years, it wasn't supposed to open until Spring 26, but the bastards moved the date up by months....
Relative_Lie_9458@reddit
I thought it was supposed to be no food or drinks?
Eruththedragon@reddit
Rail lines often offer fare-free journeys & host big celebrations on opening day/weekend
RandleMcMurphy1962@reddit
Direct USB charging is a big nope in publicly accessed places.
darkpatri0t@reddit
Throw a USB condom (it's a real thing) in your bag, and enjoy the free juice again!
RandleMcMurphy1962@reddit
Data blockers do help, however not many people are aware of them and as such I just advise most to not do it at all.
EastofGaston@reddit
Can you explain pls?
darkpatri0t@reddit
It's a technique called 'juice-jacking' .. Google "O.MG Cable" it's a cable with an implant that can transfer data when the phone is unlocked. Android phones that no longer get old security updates, or old/out of date/jailbroken iPhones could also technically be subjected to exploits that could take over the phone or do more than just stealing your data.
airmark3@reddit
This is really great linkage - the first route that is not just a spoke really. And connecting Red/Blue/Green and even Orange is great. But DCTA A-train needs to extend down to Carrollton station.
nosnhoj15@reddit
And run on Sunday…..
fanofmaria@reddit
JFC! Just glad I can ride from 12th to terminal B, both ways!
gr0uchyMofo@reddit
If it doesn’t smell like piss, is it really DART?
darkpatri0t@reddit
Give it time.
steavoh@reddit
It was absolutely crammed when I got on. I wonder how many people turned out?
Dick_Lazer@reddit
That looks absolutely frightening. How many of you managed to make it out alive?
Troll_U_Softly@reddit
Hey man my son just got back from the war, you got a dollar for me?
BCMBCG@reddit
😂
poopoopants7@reddit
“Bruh”
-Guy on the right
Relative_Lie_9458@reddit
He think they taking his pic.
LP99@reddit
I mean, they are.
Relative_Lie_9458@reddit
Touché
crestedgeckovivi@reddit
And by tomorrow someone will have peed or shat in a seat.
Looks nice thought.
Jameszhang73@reddit
Wow that looks spacious especially with the train-style seating and tables
namezam@reddit
Aww I was supposed to be there but I had to go out of town.