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Monday, July 11, 2011
Failed attempts using A-Train leave us singing railroad blues
If you're listening to music in the evening hours in Denton, you'll have to cut your night short if you want to make it back to Dallas.
The A-Train is a fantastic daytime transportation system. It isn't great for getting to and from Denton in the evenings.
With the opening of the A-Train in Denton, reasons abound to take the new train. It’s economical, good for the environment, and you don’t have to worry about oncoming traffic while you’re busy texting and searching through your iPod. I became the Pegasus News A-Train tester, a trip that was scheduled to run from my apartment in downtown Dallas, to Denton, and back, without ever using a car.
One of the biggest advantages of the A-Train could be that it serves as an automated designated driver. It’s to these people that I give this warning: Plan ahead, then double check your plan, then make a Plan B, because you’re probably going to need it.
Now, if you’re one of those blessed people with the ability to stick to a schedule, you’ll be fine. Also, if your intentions do not involve late nights, loud music, and alcohol, you’ll also probably be fine. I can’t recommend the railway enough to anyone in Dallas jonesing for a cone at Beth Marie’s one hot afternoon.
Late-night explorers, take heed. I’ve made two attempts, and both ended poorly. The first trip to Denton was abandoned all together when, being so focused on the time of the last train out of Denton, I neglected to pay any attention to the northbound A-Train schedule. It was a Saturday and I missed the 8:49 p.m. train by a few minutes. The next one didn’t arrive till 10:24 p.m. Rather than wait the hour and a half at Trinity Mills, I begrudgingly boarded the DART Green Line back home.
For attempt No. 2, I made sure to be fully aware of exactly what time I’d be arriving at the Trinity Mills station. I purchased another Regional Pass for $10 and I caught the slick-looking A-train and enjoyed a smooth ride into Denton. The trip from Dallas to Denton took about an hour and a half.
Unfortunately for those of us who want to enjoy live music in Denton, the last train leaves at 11:15 p.m. – well before any headlining act would be finished. I wasn't ready to leave until midnight, so I was lucky to have a Plan B: a good friend with a couch.
If you're headed to the A-Train, always be prepared. It wasn't as easy as we had hoped.
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John Turner-McClelland, verified:
DCTA has made it pretty clear the A Train was meant to be a commuter rail line and not for drinking trips. So if you could plan your drinking during week days, you will do much better. Personally I would like it to be the drunk train, but doesn't DART already serve that purpose?
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becca, anonymous:
Living in Dallas I just accept that they aren't always as progressive as many other places. However, we do have the beginning of same great public transit and that I am grateful for.
As far as coming back late, that is a great point. And although John considers it a "drunk" train, there are many events, restaurants, activities that run late into the evening on most nights. Let's fill these trains up and increase the demand for more accessibility with the trains.
Agreed, be prepared and you can have a fun journey within Dallas.
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James Scott, verified:
Who is this "warning" for? People that don't think enough ahead of time to actually read a train schedule and make sure they can get home? This story's headline makes it seem like the A-train is at fault for not keeping a regular schedule, but this just sounds like whining as a result of poor planning.
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addfab, anonymous:
This is the same problem I have with the TRE. Would love to head over to FW for some rabble rousing but the last train back is 9:45. boo...
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Paragon, anonymous:
trying to figure out what the issue is, most large cities i've visited that had well established rail systems, Paris, Chicago, London, Seoul, all stop running on or right around midnite.
so gasp! other plans must be made! oh my lord!
what would serve this issue is a night bus system similar to the one used in london, when the tube shuts down the night buses run more stream lined routes but they can still get you from point a to point b.
the idea that the trains should run 24 hours a day 7 days a week is not only ridiculous but moronic. and don't get me wrong, the DART and DCTA are run by a bunch of idiots who plow through public dollars for things like, more cars to drive and really cool office furniture when it would better be served providing services.
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kevin6182, anonymous:
Josh - you might recall, for a good 6 months, several great people in Denton helped push DCTA toward increasing their service from what was then just commuter hours to what we have now: commuter hours plus later Friday evenings and Saturday service. This was a significant change from what DCTA was originally proposing. DCTA, city leaders, and others went out on a limb to give us a chance at broader service times for recreational train use. I'd ask for a bit of patience and appreciation to the many Denton citizens who encouraged the train schedule along to what it is now.
But a larger point looms - perhaps the Denton music scene is that what could be adjusted. You are right: most headliners at Denton venues begin late, often past midnight. Not only does this exclude train visitors, but even many would-be Denton venue patrons. The truth is, many music enthusiasts work for a living and have families and are already kept from enjoying much of the scene due to the late hours. Perhaps instead of blaming the train, you and others can start a push to encourage venues to hold earlier shows. After all, depending on only the crowd who can stay out late is not the best business option - those who have to get up in the morning for work just might have more money to spend on drinks, cover charges, and band merchandise.
And I ride the train regularly - I'd be happy to accompany you to show you the ins and outs of riding in a way that doesn't leave you singing the blues.
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jf2good, anonymous:
The problem I have with A-train is that it replaced a low cost bus service that was free to UNT for students with a less flexible A-train that students have to pay to ride. Since the schedule is less flexible and it takes longer to get to UNT it means driving instead of riding the commuter express.
I doubt that the ridership on the A-train will be as high as projected. Already DART is complaining about low ridership on the Green line which the A-train connects too. People just don't commute from downtown Denton to downtown Dallas to work, unless there an idiot and want to spend wasted hours for nothing.
However, there are college students from all over DFW that do commute to UNT, The commuter express bus stopped right on campus. The A-train does not which means waiting on another bus, with every transfer you add time and complexity let alone the added cost of the A-train.
Sure having a train makes that government administrator more important, but doesn't serve those who commute.
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What do you think?