TRANSIT: DART approves plan to expand rail systems

Amid political pressure from North Texas’ urban and suburban leaders, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) board on Tuesday approved a plan to finance two major rail expansions and an overhaul of bus service.

Suburban officials hailed the plan’s funding for a rail line that connects the state’s busiest airport to several cities as a prime example of what urban areas can achieve when cities act in tandem. But Dallas leaders said the agency is ignoring much-needed improvements to its widely criticized bus system and jeopardizing plans for a downtown subway.

DART’s new long-term plan calls for borrowing about $1 billion to build the Cotton Belt suburban rail line and depends on federal officials giving the agency $650 million for a downtown subway that could cost up to $1.3 billion. The board voted 12-3 to approve the plan.