DART orders FLIRT Trains from Stadler US
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Photo courtesy of Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board last week selected Stadler US for the contract to assemble and build eight Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains (FLIRT) and design an Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF) for the Cotton Belt Regional Rail Project.
The Cotton Belt Regional Rail Project, a new 26-mile alignment planned for the northern part of the DART service area, will traverse Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Plano, a statement said. The alignment is scheduled to go into service in 2022.
The Stadler FLIRT is self-propelled by a diesel multiple unit (DMU) and meets tier 4 EPA emissions standards and FRA standards. Officials said it is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The vehicles seat 230 and include automatic passenger counters and closed-circuit television. Each train is about 318 feet long and has four units, a power pack, four powered axles and eight unpowered axles.
Stadler intends to assemble and build the new DART trains in Salt Lake City, a statement said.
In March, RT&S reported that DART was scheduled to perform rail replacement work during weekends through September of 2019.
