Dallas Area Rapid Transit is set to expand in Collin County to accommodate the influx of tens of thousands of people moving to one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.
The expansion will be limited to increased bus service in the immediate future, not light rail.
Due to a booming economy, thousands of jobs are coming to Plano alone in the next few years. DART operates the largest light rail system in the United States, but the next expansion of service in Plano — the only Collin County community in DART’s 13 member cities — is not scheduled until 2035, according to an official.
Plano currently has two light rail stations — Downtown Plano and Parker Road — and the city is the farthest north that the system runs.
The park and ride lot at the Parker Road station, where both of DART’s Red and Orange lines end, is packed most mornings with people having to arrive early just to get a spot.
“There’s a lot of commuters here,” Pineto Woodard said. “If [DART] takes it all the way around the whole Metroplex, this would be like New York City."
