Testing Begins for DART Silver Line DMUs

DART is testing its eight Stadler DMUs for 26-mile Silver Line service to “ensure that all the systems are operating as they should while running, stopping, and starting on the tracks,” according to Anthony Fuller, Vice President of Silver Line Maintenance and Operation. “Much like a new car before it’s put it on the lot, we want to make sure that everything is ready to go starting Day One for our customers.” The Silver Line is expected to launch by early 2026. (DART Photograph)

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is prepping for Silver Line commuter rail service with test runs of its eight Stadler-built DMUs (diesel multiple units).

DART on May 6 reported that the Silver Line DMUs will be running on Sundays for the next few weeks on the service route of Trinity Railway Express (TRE), a 34-mile commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas, Tex., which is jointly owned and operated by DART and Trinity Metro. TRE does not operate on Sundays.

Scheduled for a late 2025-early 2026 launch, the DART Silver Line will be a 26-mile, 10-station commuter rail system between Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano (see map below). It will traverse seven North Texas cities (Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, and Plano) in three counties (Collin, Dallas, and Tarrant).

The project is more than 60% complete, according to DART, which said it will fully test its DMUs on the Silver Line tracks this summer. Testing will be conducted in segments, beginning in late July or early August between the Shiloh Road Station in Plano and CityLine/Bush Station in Richardson; continuing in the fall between the Knoll Trail Station in Dallas and Terminal B Station at DFW Airport; and wrapping up in early 2025 between the CityLine/Bush and Knoll Trail stations.

Segmented testing is necessary, DART said, “to ensure each portion of track along the alignment functions as needed and the vehicle responds accordingly.” End-to-end testing is planned for summer 2025.  

In 2019, Swiss manufacturer Stadler was awarded an approximately $119 million contract for eight FLIRT DMUs, which were assembled at its Salt Lake City, Utah, plant (download specs below). The FLIRT for DART meets both tier 4 EPA emissions standards and Federal Railroad Administration standards. Each DMU comprises two cab cars, two coach cars, plus a engine module (power pack), according to Stadler, which noted that the setup includes four powered axles and eight unpowered axles. This puts each train at approximately 267 feet long. Each has seating for 235 riders. The equipment is similar to Trinity Metro’s TexRail commuter rail vehicles, also built by Stadler. The 27-mile, nine-station TexRail, which recently celebrated its fifth year of service, runs eight trains between Fort Worth and DFW Airport’s Terminal B.

The Silver Line DMUs began leaving the Salt Lake City plant in July 2023, and according to Stadler, the last one began its journey to Texas three months ago. DART reported that once service launches, there will be five DMUs in operation, with three as spares. DART anticipates weekday service to be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; it is possible, however, that service hours could be as early as 5 a.m. or as late as 11 p.m. The Silver Line will run every 60 minutes, and during peak hours, such as weekday commute times, it will run every 30 minutes.  

“It’s exciting for everyone associated with this project because this means we’re that much closer to opening for revenue service and having passengers on these new trains,” said Anthony Fuller, Vice President of Silver Line Maintenance and Operation. “The goal is to operate these vehicles and ensure that all the systems are operating as they should while running, stopping, and starting on the tracks. Much like a new car before it’s put it on the lot, we want to make sure that everything is ready to go starting Day One for our customers.”