OK, it's not exactly a shortline, but it ain't exactly a Class One either! But it DOES meet my criteria of being an interesting, unusual, and slightly obscure railroad operation, so I'm including the Trinity Railway Express -- the Dallas / Ft. Worth area's own commuter railroad -- on Southwest Shorts.

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) began operations in January 1997. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) had begun light rail operations into downtown Dallas the previous summer, and the TRE route which opened in 1997 was the first segment of a connecting commuter line that will eventually provide rail service to allow commuters to travel between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Service was initially offered only between Irving and downtown Dallas, but in September of 2000, TRE inaugurated three new stations -- the first stations in Tarrant County -- on its route: CentrePort/DFW (in north Arlington), Hurst/Bell, and Richland Hills. Service to downtown Ft. Worth is scheduled to commence in October 2001.

In 1997, TRE began its operations with "borrowed" equipment, leased from Amtrak and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CONN DOT), until its own refurbished Budd RDCs (Rail Diesel Cars) began arriving. Once on the property, the RDCs were sufficient to handle the passenger load until TRE extended its route to Richland Hills. The route extension necessitated the acquisition of additional equipment, which began arriving in mid 2000: ex-GO Transit F59PH locomotives 565, 566, 567, and 568; and several Bombardier bi-level passenger coaches and control cars. This new equipment has not replaced the RDCs, but has merely supplemented them.

Five days a week, dozens of TRE trains operate between downtown Dallas and the CentrePort station, with additional rush hour trains between CentrePort and the outermost TRE station in Richland Hills. Service between Dallas and CentrePort is offered on Saturdays as well, but there is no Saturday service to Hurst/Bell or Richland Hills. TRE does not operate on Sundays.

The rail line on which the TRE trains operate is the old Rock Island line between Dallas and Ft. Worth. DART assumed ownership of the most of line several years ago, although UP, and later BNSF, operated the line until Herzog Transit Services (the company which operates the TRE trains) assumed control of the operations. BNSF dispatched the line (commuter trains and all) until February 2001, when Herzog took over the dispatching.

For more information on the Trinity Railway Express, consult the following sources:

* Trinity Railway Express - official site. Contains schedules of operation, news, and more.

* Dallas Area Rapid Transit - DART's official site. Contains information on DART light rail lines which connect with the TRE.

* Herzog Transit Services' page on the Trinity Railway Express

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All images on Wes Carr's Southwest Shorts © 2000, 2001 by Wes Carr. All rights reserved.
Wes Carr claims no affiliation with Trinity Railway Express, Herzog Transit Services, or any shortline railroad.