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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Downtown Plano (DART Station)
Downtown Plano station is a DART light rail station in Plano, Texas. The station is located in Plano's historic downtown district on the eastern side of Haggard Park. It serves the Red Line and, during peak periods, the Orange Line.

History

Predecessor

The rail corridor through Downtown Plano was constructed by the Houston and Texas Central Railway in the late 19th century. The corridor was purchased by Dallas Area Rapid Transit in 1988.

The modern-day station site was previously used by the Texas Electric Railway interurban line from 1908 to 1948 as a passenger station. The Texas Electric Railway's station building, now used by the Interurban Railway Museum, is located in Haggard Park.

Modern station

In 1996, DART released preliminary plans for a downtown Plano station, tentatively named 15th Street. The station would be an at-grade structure on the south side of 15th Street with a small parking lot. The station plan was controversial among downtown merchants, as it would require the demolition of an antique mall and would cause traffic congestion. In 1998, the city of Plano approved a different location north of 15th Street. This location was three times larger and able to accommodate redevelopment, though it did not include any long-term parking. The station was slated to open in 2003.

In 2000, construction began on Transit Village, a $16 million transit-oriented development directly adjacent to the station, which contained both apartments and retail space. In 2002, the city of Plano announced renovations to Haggard Park, which is also adjacent to the station.

In March 2002, DART announced that construction of the North Central Corridor, which included Downtown Plano, was six months ahead of schedule. A sculpture of a steam locomotive-inspired horse, named "Iron Horse", was installed on the station platform.

On December 7, 2002, DART held an opening ceremony for the station. Dubbed "Super Saturday", the event offered a free preview service between the Bush Turnpike, Downtown Plano, and Parker Road stations, as well as a Christmas parade. The ceremony also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Northern Texas Traction Company, the first interurban in the modern-day Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The station officially opened the following Monday.

References

  1. ^ "Downtown Plano Station". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bicycle Parking". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Briefs: DART ridership heavy as 3 rail stations open". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. December 10, 2002. pp. 22A – via NewsBank.
  4. ^ Kelley, Chris (April 5, 1988). "DART makes first rail land buy". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 13A – via NewsBank.
  5. ^ "North Central Corridor LRT Extension: Final Environmental Impact Statement" (April 22, 1997) [report]. DART Historical Archive, pp. 2-18, 2-21, 2-22. The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas.
  6. ^ Hartzel, Tony (November 9, 1996). "Study says rail's potential effect not grim - Merchants want project reconsidered". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1J – via NewsBank.
  7. ^ Packer, Jennifer (January 27, 1998). "Council OKs new site for DART rail station Facility to be built at 15th Place and Avenue J". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1Z – via NewsBank.
  8. ^ Jacobson, Sherry (July 1, 1999). "New downtown development gets under way with a bang". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 10A – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ Washington, April M. (June 27, 2002). "Officials see vibrant future for historic Haggard Park: City hopes renovation, arrival of DART restore landmark as civic hub". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1P – via NewsBank.
  10. ^ Hartzel, Tony (March 21, 2002). "DART expansion chugging along - Rail to arrive faster, cheaper than expected". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1P – via NewsBank.
  11. ^ Hundley, Wendy (October 5, 2002). "Giving color to downtown - Mural competition is among art projects planned for city core". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1J – via NewsBank.
  12. ^ "DART Gallery: A Collection of Public Art" (PDF). Dallas Area Rapid Transit. p. 16.
  13. ^ Washington, April M. (December 8, 2002). "Plano welcomes DART with a little holiday flair - Celebration also marks 100th anniversary of region's first railway". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 37A – via NewsBank.
  14. ^ Rieder, Robert A. (October 2, 2020). "Electric Interurban Railways". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 19, 2024.


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