Downtown Rowlett station

Downtown Rowlett station (previously Rowlett Park and Ride) is a DART light rail station in Rowlett, Texas. The station is located in Rowlett's historic downtown district, approximately 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) south of Lakeview Parkway (SH 66) and 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) west of President George Bush Turnpike (SH 190).

Downtown Rowlett
Downtown Rowlett station in July 2015
General information
Location	5000 Martin Drive[1] Rowlett, Texas
Coordinates	32.9042°N 96.5634°W / 32.9042; -96.5634
Owned by	Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Connections	Rowlett GoLink Zone (M-Sun), Southeast Garland GoLink Zone (M-Sun) Rockwall Dial-A-Ride (M-F) Hunt County Connection (M-F)
Construction
Parking	750 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities	3 lockers,[2] 1 rack
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	May 22, 2000 (2000-05-22)[3] (bus) December 3, 2012 (2012-12-03)[4] (rail)
Services
Preceding station Dallas Area Rapid Transit Following station Downtown Garland toward UNT Dallas Blue Line Terminus
Location

The station is the northern terminus of the Blue Line^[1] and the main transfer point for Eastern Pilot GoLink, a microtransit service that serves Rowlett and southeastern Garland.^[5] The station is also served by the Rockwall Dial-A-Ride service^[6] and a shuttle to Greenville.^[7][8]

History

Dallas Area Rapid Transit originally serviced the city of Rowlett through a park-and-ride lot at Christian City Church, located about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of the current station at the intersection of Lakeview Parkway and Dalrock Road. DART paid the church $10,000 per year to lease the site on weekdays.^[9]

In 1997, DART announced the construction of a dedicated park-and-ride lot in downtown Rowlett,^[10] which would allow for more streamlined bus routes.^[9] The facility opened on May 22, 2000, as the Rowlett Park and Ride.^[3] The opening of the facility coincided with the introduction of DART On-Call, a demand-response service for Rowlett neighborhoods east of the lot.^[11]

The lot was located on a former Missouri–Kansas–Texas rail corridor which DART had purchased for a future extension of its light rail system.^[10] On March 25, 2011, DART held a groundbreaking for the extension.^[12] Testing began in April 2012,^[13] and the completed extension opened on December 3, 2012.^[4] In tandem with the opening, the facility was renamed to Downtown Rowlett station.

On September 30, 2016, Hunt County-based transit service The Connection announced the creation of a shuttle route between the station and Greenville.^[8]

On May 7, 2018, DART implemented a parking permit system at the station. Certain segments of the lot are reserved on weekdays for drivers with a free permit indicating that they are a resident of one of DART's 14 member cities.^[14] A similar system is in use at Parker Road station, though the two permits are not interchangeable.

References

1. "Downtown Rowlett Station". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
2. "Bicycle Parking". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
3. Hartzel, Tony (May 21, 2000). "Commute Week: DART is revamping its trolley routes to connect riders to several additional spots in the central business district and to better serve north-south travelers". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 30A – via NewsBank.
4. Leszcynski, Ray (December 3, 2012). "Big day for DART as routes are extended to Rowlett, D/FW Airport". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
5. "Eastern Pilot". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
6. "Connections to DART". STAR Transit. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
7. "Transportation". Senior Center Resources and Public Transit. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
8. Kellar, Brad (September 30, 2016). "The Connection starting Park & Ride service to Metroplex". Greenville Herald-Banner. Community Newspaper Holdings – via NewsBank.
9. Parish, Jeff (December 13, 2000). "DART streamlining bus route in Rowlett". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1R – via NewsBank.
10. "DART announces location for Rowlett Transit Center". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. July 2, 1997. pp. 3M – via NewsBank.
11. Barber, Dan R. (May 31, 2000). "DART pleased with launch of Rowlett shuttle: Service lets riders call for pickup". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1M – via NewsBank.
12. Green, Kenny (March 25, 2011). "DART breaks ground on Rowlett's light-rail station". Rowlett Lakeshore Times. American Community Newspapers.
13. Sikkel, Meghan; Leszcynski, Ray (April 26, 2012). "DART makes leisurely test run to Rowlett". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. B6 – via NewsBank.
14. "Permit parking for DART service area residents coming to downtown Rowlett station". Rowlett Lakeshore Times. Star Local Media. March 23, 2018.

External links

• Dallas Area Rapid Transit
  • Downtown Rowlett Station
  • Permit Parking for DART Service Area Residents