Authorities Commit to Extending Passenger Rail Lines
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Coppell ● Las Colinas ● Valley Ranch RamblerRamblerRambler Coppell ● Las Colinas ● Valley Ranch ● Irving ● RamblerRamblerRambler November 24, 2012 50¢ Authorities commit to extending passenger rail lines By Jess Paniszczyn sometime around 2040. Fortunately Imagine a commuter rail cor- for the region with its expanding ridor extending from west Ft. Worth population and congested highways, to Plano, winding through several representatives of the transit authori- cities with a transfer station at DFW ties and NCTCOG are not content to International airport. Along its 62 wait that long. mile service, the commuter train The Board Chairs and Presidents would also connect with The T (Fort of DART, The T and DCTA signed a Worth Transportation Authority), Tri-Party Passenger Rail Alliance on DART’s (Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s) Nov. 16 to formalize their commit- Green, Red and Orange Lines, as well ment to working together in order as DCTA’s (Denton County Transpor- to expand mass transit options in tation Authority’s) A Train. the region. If you have enough time to wait, “Today is exciting from the you will not have to imagine this re- standpoint that the three transit gional rail service. With the support authorities are recommitting to con- of all three transit authorities, the tinue to work together to promote North Central Texas Council of Gov- transit throughout the North Texas ernments (NCTCOG) and possibly area,” said Garry Thomas, Presi- the federal government, the first sev- dent, Executive Director of DART. en mile stretch of the corridor from “We work to give people choices Cutline Carrollton to DFW Airport should throughout our region, so they can be open to daily commuter traffic See RAIL LINES, Page 2 Judge rules in Tour makes technology accessible to seniors entertainment By Amanda Casanova district lawsuit A chatter of voices laughed as people mar- veled at the smartphones in their hands. Senior By Amanda Casanova citizens at the AT&T Reconnect Tour leaned over A district judge dismissed a to see each others’ phone screens at the mobile claim from the Las Colinas Group technology education workshop for seniors, that asked for $100 million in profits pointing to the phones’ different features. lost from a failed joint venture with The group of about 100 was learning how the City of Irving. District Judge Carl to check the weather and preset their phones Ginsberg ruled Nov. 11 that the lost to show them forecasts for different locations. profits are “consequential damages” “Okay, I know the weather is fun, but let’s try and cannot be recovered, according something else,” Naomi Dean, host of the work- to court documents. shop, told attendees on Nov. 20 at the Heritage In August, the Las Colinas Senior Center. Group filed a lawsuit against the The AT&T Reconnect Tour stopped in Irving City after the Council voted down a as part of its journey through 15 cities across the resolution that would have extended country. The Tour, in partnership with smart- negotiations for a $252 million enter- phone maker Pantech, is meant to teach technol- tainment center. The lawsuit came ogy newcomers about the fast-changing world of just a day after the Council vote, the mobile communication, including smartphones, same day as a contract deadline with tablets and apps. developer TDI Real Estate Holding “Mobile technology has really changed the and the Las Colinas Group. way we communicate with friends and family The judge, however, did decide and many of us have come to rely on these tools that the Las Colinas Group, the de- to stay connected,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice veloper of the entertainment center, president – Devices, AT&T. “By teaming up with Cutline could seek $39 million in unpaid fees Pantech on the AT&T Reconnect Tour, we hope and investments. See TECHNOLOGY, Page 10 The lawsuit, filed in the 193rd Judicial District Court, claimed that See LAWSUIT, Page 10 WE CARE ABOUT YOU & YOUR FAMILY 972-253-4200 IRVING TEXAS IRVING PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE PERMIT #024981 PERMIT www.mscitx.com Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM After Hours Clinic: Lab & Radiology: No appointment necessary Mon-Fri 7:30 AM–5:30 PM Mon-Fri 5:00 PM–9:00 PM Not available for After Hours Clinic Sat & Sun 9:00 AM–4:00 PM Cutline Main Location: 2021 N. MacArthur Blvd, Irving, 75061 Other Locations: Baylor MOBI: Diwali festival celebrates 2001 N. MacArthur Blvd. #425 Valdez Clinic: Las Colinas: The Irving Rambler Box 177731 P.O. Irving, TX 75017 a new year and devotion 3501 N. MacArthur Blvd #400 6750 N. MacArthur Blvd. #250 By Jess Paniszczyn which took place at noon. Through- Tuscan Cardiovascular Center: OB/GYN: Art, fireworks, an outdoor fes- out the day, visitors poured in to the 701 Tuscan Dr #205 6750 N. MacArthur Blvd. #255 tival and delicacies were part of hourly services to see the beautifully celebrating one of the most re- arranged lights as well as rangolis, nowned Hindu festivals, Diwali, or unique floor designs made with col- the “Festival of Lights,” at the BAPS orful food items. Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Irving “I have been coming to this on Nov. 17. event for a number of years and Irving Rambler $0.50 The hall was packed for the first every time I feel it is an event for all arti, a Hindu ritual of waving lighted ages, but especially for the kids who wicks before the murti of Bhagwan get a true cultural experience,” said as an act of spiritual enlightenment, See DIWALI, Page 9 AND VISIONS OF Momentum Ballet Colleyville IrvingArts SUGAR PLUMS DANCED Dance Ensemble Ballet Company of Texas Company IN THEIR HEADS…. Nov. Nov. 30, Dec. 14 23-25 Dec. The Nutcracker 1 & 2 On Sale Now! 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. Irving, TX 75062 972.252.ARTS • IrvingArtsCenter.com Page 2 November 24, 2012 THE RAMBLER www.IrvingRambler.com Rail lines DART Orange Line Phase 2 Continued from Page 1 Project Update Public Meetings get out of their cars. We know what they are going to do if we don’t give them a choice. “DART has the longest light rail With the next phase of the DART Orange Line only a few weeks system in the United States. DART away, DART and KSWRP (the design-build contractor responsible also has the TRE, which we jointly for the design and construction of the entire Orange Line) would like operate with The T in Ft. Worth. to present a project update covering all three segments of the In addition, we have a cooperative DART Orange Line. agreement with DCTA on the A The fi rst segment brought the Orange Line to Irving Convention Center Train, which meets our Green Line Station in July 2012, while Phase 2 will add North Lake College at Trinity Mills. So we all work very Station and Belt Line Station – along with large parking facilities closely together to make sure the and several bus route changes – on December 3. The third and fi nal customers don’t realize that it is one segment, to DFW Station next to Terminal A with revenue service Cutline agency or the other. At the end of the scheduled to begin in December 2014, remains under construction. day, all they really care about is be- Prominent among December 3 changes will be new DART bus route ing able to get from point A to point 500, connecting both Belt Line and Centreport/DFW Airport stations to B safely, physically and effectively. petition for transit projects is much to Richard Green, Vice President of the DFW Airport Terminal A area. “There is a lot of conversation greater these days, and the federal the Fort Worth & Western Railroad in our region right now about the 62 purse-strings are much tighter. Our Company. Make plans to join DART and KSWRP staff to receive the latest mile Cotton Belt Corridor that goes Tri-Party Passenger Rail Alliance is “The infrastructure of the track details on Orange Line events and construction, and pick up new rail and bus schedules. For your convenience, we have scheduled both an from south west Ft. Worth, through in a position to further multi-modal will have to be upgraded,” Green afternoon and evening meeting with the same presentation: downtown, across the north side of transportation in our region. Increas- said. “The Cotton Belt Corridor is the DFW Airport, through Carrollton ing the scope of transit and having it currently class two railroad which is and over to the Red Line between blend seamlessly with road travel, rated for 25 miles per hour (mph.) DART ORANGE LINE PUBLIC MEETINGS Plano and Richardson. passenger rail, air traffic and other They are going to want to run 60 Monday, November 26, 2012, “The T is working on the west- modes is not just desirable. It is a mph commuter trains on this line. 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ern side. They are going through a vital objective. It will need new ties and rail. On the North Lake College (Room G-401) 5001 N. MacArthur Blvd. full funding grant process with the “Sometime in the future, the Ft. Worth side, it would probably cost Irving, Texas 75038 Federal Transit Administration to try near future we hope, you can add the $700 million for 34 miles of railroad. MAPSCO 21A-V to receive funding. DART continues Cotton Belt to that mix. Sometime So overall, it is probably a billion dol- Along DART Bus Route 501 to work with the private sector on after that, I envision the Burlington lar project in today’s dollars.