Honkin' Mad

Trinity Railway Express forced to tweak its schedule

The Trinity Railway Express announced earlier this month that trains from Fort Worth to Dallas would be faster, and riders who didn’t get to the station early could be left behind.

Turns out TRE had trouble keeping up with its own schedule.

The commuter rail line is adopting a new timetable effective Monday that tweaks departure times on nine trains, and eliminates a late-night route. The times are still faster than previous TRE service — from Fort Worth to Dallas in 56-61 minutes — and riders are still encouraged to get to the stations early.

Train employees began announcing the new schedule Thursday to TRE riders, some of whom had complained earlier this month about missing bus and light rail connections.

Check out the new schedule.

— Gordon Dickson

 

Improving the curb appeal of T bus stops

Riders want cleaner Fort Worth bus stops and more route info.

Win a free car

Apparently giving away a hybrid car in Texas is easier said than done. Officials with the state’s Drive Clean Across Texas campaign put out a final call Thursday for residents to enter an online sweepstakes and possibly win a Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. The number of entries received since the contest began this spring is lower than expected, said a contest promoter who declined to elaborate. So, if you've never won anything, now's the time to turn your luck around!

The giveaway is part of the annual campaign, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, to encourage drivers to take simple steps that reduce air pollution. The deadline is Sunday. Drivers ages 18 and older are eligible. Contest entrants are asked to pledge to do their part to reduce air pollution. More info: http://www.drivecleanacrosstexas.org/

— Gordon Dickson

Richland Hills residents rally to stay with the T

... But a city committee report shows fewer than 20 percent of bus riders in Richland Hills live or work in the city.  

Lake Worth abruptly ends transit service

Lake Worth officials say only a handful of riders were using the city's subsidized Yellow Cab service.

Can Dallas-Fort Worth cities still afford to build roads?

Fort Worth's effort to build and maintain roads is suffering a bit of a setback but other North Texas cities are pressing ahead with pavement plans ...

Handicap access at Cowboys Stadium

A group of people with disabilities says Cowboys Stadium in Arlington goes way beyond other stadiums in terms of accessibility, but a handful of others have complained about issues such as wheelchair access from parking lots. 

Almost time to widen Loop 820, Airport Freeway

The private development firm that was awarded the North Tarrant Express project -- that's the proposed expansion of Northeast Loop 820 and Airport Freeway, possibly beginning in 2010 -- has a new communications man. His name is Robert Hinkle, a Haltom City native who has moved around the corporate communications circles in Austin, Washington and abroad for a quarter-century.

Read about what Hinkle had to say about the upcoming road work during Wednesday's meeting of the 35W Coalition in Fort Worth.

Good thing Dallas and Fort Worth get along ...

Imagine if Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert had a political falling out, and took it out on you, The Motorist ...

Why the heck are I-30 left lanes closed in Fort Worth?

A I-30 left-lane closure that has been irritating motorists for more than a month on a busy mile of I-30 in west Fort Worth will remain in place for about two more weeks, a Texas Department of Transportation official said Tuesday.

The left lanes of I-30 in both directions from Montgomery Street to Forest Park Boulevard have been closed since early August. That's when a contractor was brought aboard to install a new sign bridge.

But not long after the job began, workers were surprised to find a storm sewer where they had hoped to anchor the bridge, transportation department spokesman Val Lopez said. Construction grinded to a halt while engineers went back to the blueprints.

"We had to redesign the sign bridge that's going to support these signs,"Lopez said, "and we were able to get that approved, so they should be opening up if not next week the following week."

-- Gordon.