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🚋 Dallas, Texas: M-Line (McKinney Avenue Streetcar)

Dallas M-Line at CityPlace/Uptown station

Description

In 1989, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, a non-profit volunteer organization, began a heritage streetcar service using original streetcar tracks on McKinney Avenue that had been uncovered from layers of pavement. When the DART light rail system opened, plans were made to extend the line on both ends to connect to light rail stations. In June 2002, a northern extension to the Cityplace station opened, bringing the line to 3.6 miles (5.8 km) in length. At about that time, DART incorporated the line into its bus and light rail system, and eliminated fares on the line.

Construction has been completed on a southern extension, looping through downtown Dallas along St. Paul, Federal, and Olive Sts., and passing near the St. Paul light rail station. Testing is underway, and service is expected to begin in spring 2015. This will bring the total round-trip length of the route to 4.6 miles (7.4 km).

[map] The M-line’s route, including the new southern extension.

Pictures

These pictures are from two brief visits to Dallas, eleven years apart.

June 2002

On this visit, service was provided by car 636, Petunia, a single-truck Birney car that ran in Dallas until 1947.

[picture] Petunia arrives at the southern end of the line on St. Paul St. near Ross Ave., next to the art museum.

[picture] Inside Petunia, the motorman starts a northbound trip. Shorts are a good idea in an un-airconditioned car on a hot summer day!

[picture] At the north end of the line, a single-track spur leads from McKinney Ave. to DART’s CityPlace/Uptown light rail station. The station is underground, so all you can see is the entrance building. A turntable will be built here so that single-ended cars can turn around.

Although cars had been running on the Cityplace extension for a few weeks already, the official grand opening took place four days after my visit.

[picture] In the meantime, only double-ended cars like Petunia can use the CityPlace spur. Here, the motorman lowers one trolley pole after raising the other one for departure.

[picture] Petunia sets off down the CityPlace spur towards McKinney Avenue.

May 2013

On this visit, two cars were running: Petunia and her friend Matilda, car 369, a classic type W2 tram from Melbourne, Australia.

[picture] Petunia rolls down the CityPlace spur...

[picture] ...onto the turntable which was installed in 2011 at the CityPlace/Uptown DART station...

[video] ...and turns around on the turntable before departing. Of course, Petunia doesn’t really need the turntable because she’s a double-ended car!

[picture] Matilda heads north on McKinney Ave. at Lemmon Ave...

[picture #1] | [picture #2] ...and turns into the CityPlace spur. The CityPlace/Uptown station is visible at the end of the street in picture #2.

[picture] Matilda’s operator pulls down the trolley pole before turning the car around on the CityPlace/Uptown turntable.

[picture] Matilda waits a bit on the turntable...

[picture] ...and then sets off down the CityPlace spur back towards McKinney Ave.

[picture] Looking out Matilda’s front window heading southbound along McKinney Ave. at Fairmount St., we pass Petunia going the other way.

[picture #1] | [picture #2] Interior of Matilda, looking towards the front and the rear. Air-conditioning units are mounted on the ceiling.

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This page was last reviewed or updated on 18 July 2015.

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