The holidays came early for riders of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail system. DART opened the first 5.4-mile phase of its new Orange Line in July—five months ahead of schedule. Nine miles of the 14-mile project were set to be completed in December, but the design-build team—in DART's first use of the approach—rallied for an early delivery.
The opening coincided with the 15th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Summit and 5th Annual Global High-Speed Rail Forum held at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas on Aug. 14-17. The new section includes a station at the convention center.