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Texas
Streetcar Systems |
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Dallas
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McKinney
Ave. Transit Authority
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Began Operation:
1989
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Miles of Line:
3.6
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Stations:
Numerous Street Stops
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Org: Non-Profit
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Schedule: Daily Service
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picture: John Smatlak
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The
McKinney Ave. Trolley is a remarkable story of public/private cooperation.
The line connects the Arts District
adjacent to Downtown Dallas with the shops and nightlife of the Uptown
neighborhood.
The entire line utilizes city streets, and the operation runs like a real city streetcar, providing
transportation for sightseers and local residents alike. The majority of
the line is double-tracked, with a loop arrangement on one end, and a
section of single track on the Downtown end. The operation unites a dedicated
group of trolley enthusiasts with the local business community, who
together have received strong backing from the City of Dallas.
The origins of the line are traced back to the early
1980s and the idea of a local restauranteur
to operate trolleys using
original trolley tracks still intact under layers of paving along McKinney
Ave. In 1983, the non-profit McKinney Ave. Transit Authority (MATA) was
founded and began to pursuing funding and acquiring suitable rolling
stock. In the summer of 1984, the city of Dallas endorsed a 1.9 million
dollar plan for a 1.3 mile line, which included $200,000 from the City,
$400,000 from local merchants, and 1.3 Million from UMTA. As the project
progressed, it increased in scope to a 2.8 mile line with a 5.9 million
dollar price tag. Ultimately, local businesses and other supporters
contributed 3.25 million to the project, and UMTA provided two grants totaling
2.5 million.
To operate the service, MATA acquired two relatively
complete cars, one from Portugal and the other from Australia, and also
restored two Dallas carbodies. Daily service was inaugurated in 1989, and
the line's initial months of operation were extraordinarily successful.
However, a downturn of business after the initial wave of enthusiasm forced the
MATA to devote more resources to the important business of marketing their
new line. This began a successful collaboration with the convention and
tourist agencies of the area, and with businesses along the line.
The higher than anticipated costs of operating the
system also made for a rough financial ride after the initial ridership surge
was over. Originally operated with a paid staff, In 1991 operation of the
line was turned over to a supporting non-profit group, an arrangement
which exists today. The line today has a paid Chief Operating Officer, and
a paid office manager, with all other positions filled by volunteers. To
help provide continuing support and reinforce their ties to the local
business community, a local Public Improvement District was incorporated,
providing MATA with an additional $150,000 in annual support.
In 1996, Dallas opened its new Light Rail system,
and MATA began planning for expansion projects which would connect both
ends of the vintage trolley service with light rail stations. The northern
expansion opened in June of 2002, at which time MATA began operation as
Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) "M-Line Streetcar",
offering free shuttle service seven days a week. The new operation is
underwritten by DART, as well as the Uptown and Dowtown Public
Improvement Districts.
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| Dallas
Car Downtown |
Street
scene |
Into
the barn |
Carbarn
interior |
John Smatlak
Photos 
News
/ Updates (scroll down for latest update)
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 1/5/01:
On January 4, the McKinney Ave Transit Authority operated an opening
parade to celebrate restoration of normal 7 days-a-week trolley service on
McKinney Ave. Service on the line had taken on several interim forms
during the lengthy street construction project, which started in July 1999
and involved extensive storm drain, street paving and track work. In
other MATA news, it is expected that work will begin on January 22, 200l
on the new extension to City Place and the DART light rail line.
Plans call for cars to be running on the new extension by December 2001. Sources:
Harold Geissenheimer, MATA web site. Photo: service during
reconstruction, summer 2000, John Smatlak. |
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1/5/01:
On January 4, the McKinney Ave Transit Authority operated an opening
parade to celebrate restoration of normal 7 days-a-week trolley service on
McKinney Ave. Service on the line had taken on several interim forms
during the lengthy street construction project, which started in July 1999
and involved extensive storm drain, street paving and track work. In
other MATA news, it is expected that work will begin on January 22, 200l
on the new extension to City Place and the DART light rail line.
Plans call for cars to be running on the new extension by December 2001. Sources:
Harold Geissenheimer, MATA web site.
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6/8/01:
Construction of the new extension to City Place began on March 22, 2001.
More information is available on the MATA
web site and on the Light
Rail Now! web site, which has an very good article from the Dallas
Morning News covering the start of construction. The extension will
feature an operating turntable at the end of the line, which will be used
to turn the single-ended ex-Toronto PCC cars that will ultimately be added to the operating
fleet.
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7/10/01:
The MATA
web site has been updated with photos and news of the new trackage
being installed to serve the Cityplace DART station. Source: MATA web
site
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11/01:
A meeting with MATA Chief Operating Officer John Landrum at the Association
of Railway Museums convention in North Carolina offered an opportunity
to view an excellent promotional video produced by MATA detailing the new
line extension to the Cityplace DART station. Opened in December, 2000, Cityplace
is DART's first underground station; the tri-level facility is situated 10 stories below
the North Central Expressway. The short video features appearances from,
among others, the Mayor of Dallas and the President of DART, all extolling
the virtues of MATA and its increased integration into the City's transit
scene. The video is really quite a model for such promotional
efforts.
John also
provided an update on the progress on the line extension, anticipating an
opening in early 2002. Initially, the line extension will begin operation
without use of the turntable planned for the Cityplace transit plaza. The
turntable construction is being integrated into the larger construction
project at the site, with DART serving as construction project manager.
Additional information on the Cityplace station, and all of the
development taking place around it, can be found on the DART
website, including this
piece from their newsletter.
Finally, John
clarified that MATA's PCC-type cars (noted in our 6/8/01 update) aren't
planned for use until the West End extension comes on line.
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05/02:
Congratulations to MATA on their 13th anniversary and the impending
opening of their new 1.25 mile line extension. Their website
carried this report:
On April 13,
2002 MATA celebrated its birthday and "almost grand opening" of
the Cityplace extension. Because excessive Spring rains had delayed
construction, there were still some gaps in the new route on McKinney
Avenue. So, proceeded by a flag man, Rosie (122) and Petunia (636) ran the
wrong way against traffic down Cole Avenue to Blackburn to Cityplace Blvd.
On arriving at the party site, Rosie was put on display at the
end-of-track. Then, for the duration of the event, Petunia provided free
rides up and down Cityplace Blvd. The boulevard itself was lined with
tents housing a potpourri of attractions including merchandise vendors,
refreshment stands and live entertainment. It was a family affair and a
play area was provided for the children.
Although the
party was supposed to last until 7 PM, a heavy rain blew in about 2:30 and
put an end to all outdoor activities. The circus, that had started at 1 PM
was temporarily delayed for 30 minutes. The guests were evacuated to
DART's subway station until the wind calmed down. Fortunately the tent
weathered the storm and the show was able to continue. Even though not
everything went as planned, MATA put "its best foot forward" and
provided the public a good time and a sneak preview of things to come when
our entire extension opens in May. Thanks to everyone who participated in
MATA's biggest birthday party ever!
Also, the Railway
Preservation News website recently carried an excellent article on the
expanding McKinney Ave. Trolley. It can be found in the 3/29/02 "Brief".
 07/15/02:
MATA begins operation as DART's new "M Line Streetcar".
MATA's website provides
detailed coverage of the inaugural festivities. MATA now offers free rides
seven days a week on McKinney Ave. cars. DART's website
also contains information on the new service.
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10/02:
MATA hosted the annual convention of the Association of
Railway Museums on October 24-27. Participants had an
opportunity for an up-close look at the new line extension and all
of the new construction in the adjacent neighborhood around the
Cityplace end of the line. The accompanying photos provide a few
views of the new trackage. Click photos to expand- photos open
in a new window.
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| Signage
at typical streetcorner stop |
Car
approaching stop- the motorman leaves the car and stops traffic as
passengers board
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A
short-turn on McKinney Ave.; a congregation of transit vehicles
old and new
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Cityplace
Station; additional construction is planned here including a
streetcar turntable. |
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Rolling
back down the single track stub to the Cityplace Station
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Rejoining
the loop- the wye arrangement here also allows a bypass of the
stub to Cityplace.
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Preparing
to turn left across the traffic lanes
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On
the outer leg of the loop
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car completes the loop, passing around a new shopping area. The
final shot provides a glimpse at the unusual track arrangement necessitated
by the requirement to not build over an underground utility vault. |
John Smatlak
Photos
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12/06:
MATA set a new ridership record in 2006, exceeding the
previous year as of early December, with ridership (year to date)
of 209,000 passengers. The MATA
website also reports that in November, Dallas voters approved Proposition 1 of the Dallas Bond Package.
This proposition will provide money for citywide transportation improvements including
MATA's Olive Street extension to the DART Transit Mall.
6/08:
The Spring
2008 edition of MATA's newsletter brings the good news that
ridership increased to 250,924 passengers in 2007. The newsletter
also reports that engineering work is underway for the long-sought
extension on Olive St. to reach the nearby DART light rail
station. The extension will provide MATA with closer access to the
CBD and even better connections to the city's light rail network,
further enhancing its role as a local circulator system. Click
here to download a pdf file of a 2007 presentation on the
extension, cortesy of Reconnecting America. In addition
to the ongoing work on the expansion of the McKinney Ave. trolley,
DART has also proposed a modern streetcar line in Downtown Dallas.
Click here for a Dallas Morning News article on this proposal. Click
here for a presentation from DART on their Downtown Transit Study,
which includes details of the MATA extension and concepts for a
modern streetcar line.
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Links
Dallas
page on the APTA Heritage Trolley site
Official
MATA site
Unofficial
MATA site
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This
page was last updated on 6/30/08
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