Smoother trips on DART Rail start with new level boarding

It will be easier than ever to step right on board a light rail train starting Saturday, November 6, when Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) marks the debut of level boarding at all light rail stations.

This transition follows
two-and-a-half years of construction and station closures. Special use
platforms or "high blocks," which have served persons with
disabilities and mobility challenges since the rail system opened in 1996, also
will be removed from service, as these passengers begin utilizing the low-floor
center doors in each train’s center section.

Each low-floor center
section is equipped with two clearly marked areas designated to accommodate
wheelchairs. Other passengers are expected to yield these spaces to customers
with mobility needs, as they have previously at the front seats of the train.
Near each space is a blue call button to alert the train operator when a person
in one of these spaces requests a stop.

Trains at Green Line
stations, the new Lake Highlands Blue Line station and those in downtown Dallas
will stop with the low-floor doors near the ticket vending machines to help
customers who are blind or have other vision problems. At outlying Red and Blue
line stations, the accessible entrances will align with the eight-inch high
mini-platforms or "humps" that have been constructed.