The TEX Rail commuter rail line is no bullet train. There's every reason to believe it will reach its destination, creating a 37-mile passenger transportation link between southwest Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. But progress moves slowly.
The first passengers are expected to climb on board in 2016.The most time-consuming obstacle is the $960 million needed to pay for the project. That's up from the $758 million estimate from earlier this year.And then there's the seemingly infinite number of details to be worked out.For example, at least one official in Grapevine is upset about the latest plan for a stop that will serve the Fort Worth Stockyards. Grapevine contributes part of its sales tax revenue to the TEX Rail project.A Stockyards station is important to Grapevine, where hotels like the huge Gaylord Texan and the Great Wolf Lodge drew more than 650,000 tourists, conventioneers and other visitors last year, according to city records.To keep the tourism gravy train moving, those visitors need things to do -- like riding a train to the Stockyards."We were under the impression there would be a stop in proximity to the Stockyards," Grapevine Councilwoman Sharron Spencer said during a recent TEX Rail meeting in her city.That depends on what you mean by proximity. The latest plans call for a station near 28th Street and Decatur Avenue, about a mile from the Stockyards. People who ride the train from Grapevine could take shuttle buses for the final leg of the trip.Having a TEX Rail station within walking distance of the Stockyards would be nice. But given the route of the rail lines and the availability of usable land, that's probably not going to happen. That means shuttle buses will probably be part of the plan for moving people between Stockyards attractions and the station.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
