Trinity Lakes station is a Trinity Railway Express commuter rail station. The station is located in eastern Fort Worth, Texas, on the border with Hurst, Texas, just to the east of Interstate 820 and north of Trinity Boulevard. The station is a part of Trinity Lakes, a 1,600-acre master planned mixed-use transit-oriented development.[2]
Trinity Lakes | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 7979 Trinity Boulevard Fort Worth, Texas[1] | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°48′20″N 97°12′34″W / 32.8055°N 97.2095°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Trinity Metro | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | |||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms[2][3] | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2[2][3] | ||||||||||
| Connections |  Trinity Metro: 55[1][4]TCC Northeast On-Demand | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade[2] | ||||||||||
| Parking | 500 spaces[1][5] | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes[1] | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Fare zone | West[1] | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | February 19, 2024[2] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The station is a park-and-ride lot. An on-demand service operated by Trinity Metro connects the station to Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in Hurst.[4]
The area was previously serviced by Richland Hills station, located 4⁄5 mile (1.3 km) to the west at the intersection of Handley–Ederville Road and Airport Freeway (SH 121) in Richland Hills.[6][7] Trinity Lakes replaced the Richland Hills station in February 2024.[2]
History
editRichland Hills station
edit
Richland Hills joined the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA, now Trinity Metro) in May 1992.[8] Construction for the station started in January 1999.[9] The station opened on September 16, 2000, with a parade, an opening ceremony, and an inaugural train.[10] The Bell and CentrePort stations opened the same day; all three entered regular service two days later.[11] The Richland Hills station served as the western terminus of the TRE until its extension to Downtown Fort Worth on December 3, 2001.[12]
In 2011, FWTA began a $2 million improvement project for the station, which expanded the parking lot and realigned Burns Street, the station's primary entrance. This created a pocket of undeveloped land for a future transit-oriented development project,[13][14] though no development ever occurred.[15]
In November 2016, Richland Hills held a citywide referendum on its membership in FWTA. The vote, which was the fourth on FWTA membership in the city's history, resulted in the city leaving FWTA.[16] FWTA's bus and paratransit services in Richland Hills ceased. However, Richland Hills station remained open, as most of the commuters using the station were not Richland Hills residents.[15]
Trinity Lakes station
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In 2012, the city of Fort Worth created a tax increment financing district for Trinity Lakes, a proposed mixed-use transit-oriented development adjacent to the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail service.[17] A TRE station was proposed for the development, and it was speculated as a potential replacement for Richland Hills station as early as 2015.[18]
Formal plans for a station at Trinity Lakes began in 2018, with Richland Hills initially slated for closure in 2020.[15] The decision to close Richland Hills station was also due in part to the city of Richland Hills choosing to discontinue public transport services with Trinity Metro. Regardless, the location of the station was also selected in part due to its proximity to Richland Hills.[5] Following delays, construction on the Trinity Lakes station began in February 2023, with Trinity Railway Express implementing temporary service changes on February 13, 2023, and Trinity Metro on its route 23 on February 27, 2023, to accommodate for the construction.[19][20][21] Construction on the station, which was entirely federally funded, cost $26.7 million,[22] which sits atop the site of a former sand and gravel mine.[3][7] Richland Hills station would close on February 17, 2024, two days before the opening of Trinity Lakes station,[23] which opened on February 19, 2024.[2]
Both of the bus routes that served Richland Hills were moved to Trinity Lakes.[4] Later that year, route 23, which offered non-stop service to Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, was replaced by an on-demand service serving the campus.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Stations - Trinity Railway Express". Trinity Railway Express. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Trinity Lakes Station". Trinity Railway Express. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c Moore-Carillo, Jaime (February 21, 2024). "TRE has a new train stop in Fort Worth. Will it spur major growth on this side of city?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Trinity Railway Express opens a new station in Fort Worth, closes another". KXAS-TV. NBC Owned Television Stations. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Arauz Peña, Pablo (February 15, 2024). "New Trinity Lakes train station opening along the TRE in Fort Worth". KERA News. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Dickson, Gordon (December 11, 2018). "Can a train station turn this ugly part of Fort Worth into a smokin' hot neighborhood?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company – via NewsBank.
- ^ a b Sadek, Sandra (December 10, 2023). "$26 million rail station could spur development in northeast Fort Worth". Fort Worth Report. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Ave, Christopher (May 3, 1992). "Arlington voters oust Malec, elect political novice". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Capital Cities/ABC. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Lee, Mike (November 11, 1998). "Richland Hills backs commuter rail station". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Knight Ridder. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Ellis, Tiara M. (September 16, 2000). "Rail line inaugurates new service today: Cities getting transit connection to Dallas, Fort Worth marking day with celebrations". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. p. 1N – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Making Tracks". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Knight Ridder. August 2, 2000. p. 12 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Tinsley, Anna M. (December 1, 2001). "All Aboard: The Trinity Railway Express makes its debut as the first rail-link between Fort Worth and downtown Dallas since 1934". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Knight Ridder. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Dickson, Gordon (September 15, 2011). "$2 million face-lift for Richland Hills TRE station begins". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. pp. B – via NewsBank.
- ^ "The T, Richland Hills kick off $2 million multi-phase project at TRE Station". Mass Transit. Endeavor Business Media. September 13, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c Dickson, Gordon (November 9, 2016). "What's next for Richland Hills after leaving Fort Worth transit agency". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company – via NewsBank.
- ^ Dickson, Gordon (November 8, 2016). "North Texas cities decide on liquor sales, term limits, transit". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company – via NewsBank.
- ^ Nishimura, Scott (November 14, 2012). "Trinity project developer has grand ambition". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. pp. B – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Richland Hills again looks for exit from T - Transit agency should look at its options for rail station". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. March 23, 2015 – via NewsBank.
- ^ "TRE Announces Schedule Changes for Trinity Lakes Station Construction". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Senese, Kyra (February 8, 2023). "Trinity Railway Express to Begin Trinity Lakes Station Construction". Railway Track & Structures. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Prince, Kendra (February 24, 2023). "Trinity Metro Bus Route 23 Changes". Tarrant County College News. Tarrant County College. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Hannah (October 6, 2022). "Trinity Metro's budgeted capital improvement projects scheduled to provide 2-mile line extensions, new station". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Trinity Lakes Station opens Feb. 19". Trinity Metro. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Moore-Carrillo, Jaime (May 20, 2024). "Trinity Metro is cutting these bus routes this fall. Will your area be affected?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company.