DTX-PLN: Impact 10/13/2025

Check out some recent updates about the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system, including 2026 service changes, the Silver Line opening and a new modern bus fleet.

1. DART officials approve 2026 service changes, cut some bus routes
DART’s board of directors voted Sept. 9 to approve service changes, including reduced train and bus route frequencies that will take effect Jan. 19.

What it means: The approved changes will eliminate several routes that mainly serve the cities of Irving, Dallas and Addison.

2. Silver Line to open Oct. 25, DART officials announce
DART CEO Nadine Lee announced the upcoming Silver Line, a heavy commuter train, will open Oct. 25.

The details: The new 26-mile rail service will connect seven cities across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, including Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Plano, with a final stop at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

J. Alexander’s Kitchen and Bar is coming soon to Plano, according to a J. Alexander's representative.

The details: The Plano location is set to open in early 2026, followed by a new location in Prosper in summer 2026, according to the representative. J. Alexander’s serves a variety of American cuisine, including wood-fired steaks, seafood, burgers and house-made desserts.

• Southeast corner of Dallas North Tollway and Windhaven Parkway intersection

Frisco officials are considering ways to fund three to six parking garages in the Fields West development, which could cost $70 million.

City Council members voted at a meeting Oct. 7 to call a public hearing on the parking garages funding.

The details: The hearing, slated for Oct. 21 during the regular council meeting, will be held to determine if the city should issue debt to cover the cost of the parking garages. The funding could come from the tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, where Fields West is located. A TIRZ allows a city to create a tax base in a specific zone and use those collected funds for improvement projects, such as parking. 

The board that oversees the TIRZ will also meet Oct. 21 before the regular council meeting to discuss the parking garage funding.

Texas’ power grid is unlikely to have issues this December, according to an Oct. 3 report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The details: During the winter, demand for electricity spikes when people get up in the morning and return home in the evening. This December, the tightest period is expected to be from 7-8 a.m. each day, when little to no solar power is being produced. ERCOT found that there will be a 1.81% chance of a grid emergency during that time.

“Under typical grid conditions, the deterministic scenario indicates that there should be sufficient generating capacity available," the report reads.

The background: Texas' grid withstood three cold snaps early this year. ERCOT last asked residents to voluntarily reduce their energy use in January 2024.

Legislative approach: State lawmakers approved legislation this spring that is designed to make the grid more reliable by tightening regulations on large electric consumers, such as data centers. In extreme grid conditions, those customers will be required to switch to backup power to reduce strain on the grid.