With the World Cup less than three weeks away, Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials say they're ready to transport an anticipated uptick in passengers during the 34-day tournament.
During a meeting Tuesday, DART staff released the final plan for the agency's preparations to transport thousands of World Cup visitors throughout the region.
"Our ridership expectations on a match day, we're expecting approximately 10,000 riders from the DART service area to board the [Trinity Railway Express] at Centreport," said Trenise Winters, chief operations officer for DART.
Volunteer ambassadors in yellow DART-branded jerseys will be at Centreport Station along the TRE, as well as Victory, Martin Luther King Jr. and Fair Park stations to help visitors navigate Texas' largest public transit system. DART's police will also be on hand at priority stations in partnership with the Dallas and Fort Worth police departments as well as an emergency dispatch team for "pop-up" events
"Everything we got and the kitchen sink, we're throwing at it," Assistant DART Police Chief Gil Garza told the board of directors.
From Centreport Station, fans will be transported to Dallas Stadium in Arlington on a bus bridge. Buses and trains will be branded with FIFA-related signage. Wayfinding signs will be in English and Spanish, but DART staff will direct international visitors to the website and GoPass app, which can be translated to any language depending on the device's settings.
A regional pass for visitors to travel throughout DART, as well as Tarrant and Denton counties, costs $9. New DART GoPass cards will feature FIFA-branded artwork.
DART's Chief Finance Cfficer Jamie Adelman said the agency expects a return in fare revenue but it's unknown if it will offset the $2.7 million DART put into the plan. About 87% of the funding comes from state and federal agencies to support FIFA events.
Safety and accessibility concerns
Mercedes Hall, a regular passenger who said she has attended multiple World Cup events, called it a "global reputation moment" for Dallas and DART.
"Visitors from around the world will judge our region based on clarity, safety, reliability, cleanliness, hospitality, and ease of movement," she said.
Hall said along with safety concerns, DART staff should address rider comfort and usability challenges ahead of the tournament.
"DART has the opportunity to surprise people positively if these rider-experience details continue to be prioritized," she said.
Winters, the COO, said all DART ambassadors for FIFA, as well as security staff, are undergoing training on human trafficking prevention and cultural awareness to support visitors.
"These trainings ensure all of DART's staff and contractors are prepared to support customers, represent DART effectively, and maintain safety and accessibility standards," Winters said.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA's growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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