Park Lane station (DART) explained

Park Lane
Style:Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Type:DART light rail station
Address:8169 Park Lane
Borough:Dallas, Texas
Coordinates:32.8728°N -96.7658°W
Connections: DART:,, and
North Central Dallas GoLink Zone (M-Sun),,
Platform:Island (elevated)
Parking:320 spaces[1]
Bicycle:2 bike lockers,[2] 1 bike rack
Opened:January 10, 1997 (at-grade)[3]
Rebuilt:June 17, 2002 (elevated)[4]
Accessible:Yes
Owned:Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-light
Marker-Color:
  1. 000
Zoom:15

Park Lane is a DART Light Rail station in northern Dallas, Texas. The elevated station is located at the intersection of Park Lane and Greenville Avenue, about 0.2miles east of North Central Expressway (US 75). The station serves the Red Line and Orange Line.

The station serves the southern portions of the Vickery Meadow neighborhood,[5] as well as several shopping centers, most notably The Shops at Park Lane. NorthPark Center, which is located on the opposite side of US 75, is serviced by a shuttle bus.[6]

History

Plans for a station on Park Lane date back to 1990 as the northern terminus of a 20miles starter system. Two potential locations for the station were considered: one south of Park Lane near the NorthPark East office complex (since replaced by The Shops at Park Lane), and one north of Park Lane near a (now-closed) United Artists theater.[7] After a 1990 study determined that the line may require grade separation when crossing Park Lane to prevent traffic congestion,[8] DART ultimately chose to build a temporary[9] ground-level platform at the NorthPark East location, which would not require crossing Park Lane until the line was extended further north.

The station opened on January 10, 1997, as the northern terminus of the Red Line. It, along with the Mockingbird and Lovers Lane stations, was originally intended to open 6 months prior, but all stations north of Downtown Dallas were delayed due to issues with a subway tunnel between the Mockingbird and Pearl stations.[10]

Construction on the Red Line's second northern extension, including a bridge over Park Lane and a permanent elevated station, began in April 1999.[11] DART opted to build the new station on the northern side of the road. Local artists Vicki Meek and John Christensen decorated the station with an "urban oasis" theme.[12] It opened to passenger service on June 17, 2002, two weeks before the extension to the Galatyn Park station opened, becoming the first elevated station on the DART light rail system.

The original station closed, but DART retains it as a private storage corridor., the original station's platform signage is still present.

References

  1. Web site: Park Lane Station . 2023-12-01 . . en.
  2. Web site: Bicycle Parking . . 2024-06-02.
  3. News: Howell . Curtis . 1997-02-02 . DART's light rail making tracks: First-week ridership exceeds expectations by 33 percent . 37A . . . NewsBank.
  4. News: Hartzel . Tony . 2002-06-02 . DART light-rail stations reach new level . 36A . . . NewsBank.
  5. Web site: Planning & Urban Design TOD Vickery Meadow station area landing page . 2024-06-02 . Dallas Planning & Urban Design . . en-US.
  6. News: Rubin . Daniel . 1997-06-08 . Shuttle service to link light rail station, NorthPark - Joint venture between DART, mall to start Thursday . 17A . . . NewsBank.
  7. News: Kelley . Chris . 1990-05-09 . 2 developers battling over DART station's location . . . 35A . NewsBank.
  8. North Central Corridor: Local Environmental Assessment. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1138600/. report. 1990. Dallas Area Rapid Transit. 2024-02-07. DART Historical Archive. The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas. 424–425.
  9. News: Richter . Marice . 1998-09-20 . Light-rail stations' design nearly done - High-tech, multicultural themes selected for Richardson's sites . . . 1Q . NewsBank.
  10. News: Gillman . Todd J. . 1993-07-28 . DART votes to spend reserve funds for rail - New board's 1st meeting is harmonious . . . 28A . NewsBank.
  11. News: 1999-04-30 . Metro Report . . . 40A . NewsBank.
  12. Web site: DART Gallery: A Collection of Public Art . Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

External links