Commuter Train Will Connect Denton to DART

A commuter train will connect Denton residents with a DART line into Dallas beginning this summer.

The A-Train will follow Interstate 35E. Commuters will be able to take the train from downtown Denton to Carrollton, where they can connect to DART and travel to the heart of Dallas.

"You look at the growth of Denton County, which has been phenomenal the last 10 years. You look at traffic patterns along I-35. Congestion was the first thing that stirred the project," said Jim Witt, CEO of the Denton County Transportation Authority.

The A-Train uses existing rail systems with stations scattered along I-35. It will initially use Trinity Railway Express cars, but the DCTA will eventually bring in state-of-the art cars from Switzerland.

"They will be the first alternative compliant passenger rail car in the United States," Witt said. "They are going to be the whole new breed of commuter rail, which DCTA is going to be the first adventure in that area."

The A-Train project began two years ago and is paid for by local and regional funds.

"The A-Train is sort of a miracle," Witt said. "I think if you go back and look at the 20-something commuter rails in the U.S. that are passenger-oriented, you won't find another one that was built without federal funding."