The DART team has completed more than half of the critical repairs to the system’s Overhead Catenary System (OCS) following a major accident that occurred early on July 21, 2024, where a fire engine fell from the highway onto the DART tracks below near Interstate 345 and South Good Latimer Expressway. The team has worked continuously for more than 48 hours and is currently on target to complete repairs by Wednesday evening. Please continue to monitor DART.org; another communication will be sent Wednesday afternoon.
As noted previously, the impact of Sunday morning’s crash was severe, effectively shutting down power to the entire system within Downtown Dallas and halting the flow of lightrail traffic in the area. The team will continue to work into the evening of Tuesday July 23, until repairs are complete. The target is to complete the work by Wednesday evening.
“We appreciate the patience extended to the team as we work to complete these critical repairs following this unexpected incident,” said Bernard Jackson, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for DART. “This accident was especially impactful because of the extent of the damage to wires, poles and our Catenary system; moreover, the location of the crash is at the intersection of all four of our rail lines. A seamless customer journey is always our goal, and I was proud to see the DART Bus team support our Rail Operations team via the Bus Bridge. I am also happy to share that the repairs are nearing completion. We will communicate an additional update on Wednesday afternoon.”
Commuters will continue to see shuttle buses Downtown throughout this time and until repairs are complete. Like the previous two days, passengers will continue to experience delays while travelling in this area and throughout the DART system.
Passengers who are travelling within the Central Business District will continue to use these shuttles, which will be picking up and dropping off commuters at the following locations:
• Cityplace/Uptown
• Deep Ellum
• Pearl/Arts District
• West End
• EBJ/Union
• Victory
Shuttle buses are travelling in a circular direction from one station to the next and will be marked as “Shuttle.”
Passengers who utilize the St Paul/Akard location will board a shuttle which will take them to the CBD West location, where they will board the buses marked "Shuttle," these will drop off at the locations listed above. DART riders also have the option of walking to one of the locations listed above to board the shuttles directly.
These buses provide service to the stations listed above in place of the usual lightrail service and will help passengers make connections to lightrail trains.
For passengers who use the Orange line between City Place/Uptown and Parker Road stations, please note that you should board Red Line trains to make your connections. Once in the Central Business District, board the bus bridge to your final destination.
For passengers travelling to DFW Airport: board the shuttle to get to Victory station and then board the orange line to get to the airport.
This work is extensive, but near complete. Passengers are encouraged to add in as much travel time as possible for their journey. Look for DART signage and DART staff at the stations, and when possible, utilize alternate forms of transportation for your travels.
DART will continue to monitor this incident and work as quickly and safely as possible to resume regular services. To stay informed, please contact DART Customer Service at (214) 979-1111, find service updates on the DART GoPass app, or sign up for DART Service Alerts at DART.org
