North Texas Commuters Have New Travel Option
CARROLLTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The daily commute might have just gotten a lot easier for some North Texans. The Denton County Transportation Authority launched the new A-Train for the first time early Monday morning. It should provide some immediate relief for those heading to (or home from) the workplace.
The first train pulled out of the station just after 5:00 a.m. Monday morning.
The train line travels from Denton to Carrollton. Once the train reaches its destination in Carrollton, commuters can then connect to the DART Green Line and get into other parts of Dallas County. There are five Denton County stations located along the A-Train line. A trip from Denton to downtown Dallas should take about 70 minutes.
Monday morning commuters were eager to step aboard the A-Train, because they dread the drive along Interstate-35. "It's the same amount of time to drive to work now," Steven Anderson said early Monday. "Coming home in the afternoon, I'll cut a half an hour off the travel time. It's a whole lot better."
"It's just a lot easier than driving your own car, with the traffic and the wrecks," said Doris Morris after stepping off of the A-Train in Carrollton.
"No more traffic," added Monday morning commuter Dale Nelson. "Ease. Convenience. We've joined the 21st Century!"
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new A-Train was held over the weekend, launching the long-awaited service. Commuters are even being rewarded with free rides all this week, just to try out the train and see how much time it can save. (Note: The DART Green Line is NOT free this week, so be prepared to pay if you are heading into Dallas.)
The A-Train had been in the works for several years. The DCTA expects that the new train will serve 8,000 passengers each day, helping people with gas budgets and getting a lot of vehicles off of area roads.
