The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority is celebrating 32 years of streetcar service to Dallas residents, businesses, and visitors on Thursday.
MATA was founded in 1983 in an effort to return heritage streetcars to Dallas.
Two Dallas residents, Phil Cobb and Ed Landrum, began championing the idea after discovering tracks on McKinney Avenue that had been paved over.
On July 22, 1989, the McKinney Avenue Trolley celebrated the grand opening of its 2.8-mile route.
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The M-Line has expanded several times since its opening, growing to a total of 4.6 miles in length.
The first expansion occurred in 2002, extending the route north to connect to DART's Cityplace/Uptown Station.
A turntable was added in 2011, and a second expansion took place in 2015, creating the southern loop in downtown Dallas that connects riders to DART's St. Paul Station.
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Currently served by seven vintage cars,
The M-Line trolley is served by served by seven vintage cars and provides more than 600,000 rides every year within Uptown and Downtown Dallas.
