Rail agreement signing lauds TEX Rail milestone

Officials from several agencies gather Thursday in downtown Fort Worth in support of the TEX Rail project.

Partnership was the reason, and rail transit was the focus of a Thursday meeting where representatives of five agencies signed a agreement related to the TEX Rail commuter rail plan.

Service is expected to begin in 2018.

Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s president and CEO Paul Ballard introduced TEX Rail agency representatives after he and several officials signed the agreement for the TEX Rail commuter rail project partners.

The representatives flew from across the country to meet at the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Fort Worth to signal their cooperation that will be “the envy of the rest of the country” according to Ballard.

- FWBP Digital Partners -

The ITC is one of the 10 stations where rail vehicles will operate when TEX Rail service begins in 2018 from downtown Fort Worth, northeast across Tarrant County to Grapevine and into Terminal B at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The focus of Thursday’s gathering was the celebration of railroad partners: Fort Worth and Western Railroad, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak. Each railroad’s representative acknowledged the level of cooperation and what they consider positive benefits for their customers and constituents.

“Ultimately, the citizens who have strongly supported the project through the public involvement process since day one are the real beneficiaries,” Ballard said.