TEX Rail. There. I said it.

Something that I have picked up on in many conversations lately is doubt. I understand where it’s coming from. My generation is used to hearing about all of the phenomenal things we will experience in our lifetimes, only to have seen those prophecies fall by the wayside as we’ve gone through life. Yes, we have done great things in this country, particularly about space travel and technology. What started with microwave ovens, Teflon®, and earth-orbiting space vehicles has evolved quickly to legitimate expectations of commercial space travel, Teflon® umbrellas in the town square, and GPS-enabled cell phones for everyone. It seems like all of the technological advances have so far exceeded our expectations that we now expect that breakneck speed of advancement to continue, and it probably will.

What about lifestyle changes, patterns of human behavior & interaction, where we live, work, or spend our time? There have been some changes in the past 40 years, but nothing severe. We do the things we always have done, with the same groups of people we have always hung within the very same places in much the same way we always have, except with iPads and cell phones in our hands. In middle school, they swore up and down to me that we must learn the Metric System because the USA would adopt it. Didn’t happen. We’ve heard about lots of things to expect, like jet packs and world peace, that we are still waiting for.

The most local thing of this type is Fort Worth, Texas commuter rail. My initial reaction involves skepticism and doubt. Those are the responses I frequently hear from people when this local issue is raised. We have heard about all of the struggles, hurdles, and opposition, so we think commuter rail in Fort Worth, Texas, is different from the Metric System; it’s not going to happen. If you believe that, you are wrong.

Commuter rail will serve this city and its residents well, and it is on the horizon. A fundamental change is happening right now in the way decisions are made by the powers that be. Let me stop here and say I am not entirely naive about how the movers and shakers move and shake. The affluent people in our society will always have their moments of conquest, and businessmen and citizens will always be at odds with “city hall” about something. Still, some things have changed in this equation, partly because of the rapid advancements in technology. Information cannot be as easily buried today by people with a few bucks and an agenda. Community needs percolate up and overflow in full, undeniable view of everyone, and the collective community is adapting to this change. Just like our comments and complaints are now amplified by websites like TripAdvisor and Angie’s List, our civic and community concerns are gaining voice through blogs and online social connections so that daylight hits every crack and crevice of our social existence. National, State, and Municipal matters, including federal spending, social policies on racial equality, gay marriage, public education, public transportation, and more, are now getting a true vetting in the public eye.

Significant changes are happening because entrenched selfish local interests can no longer cling to their teetering fiefdoms by financing a marketing campaign, a political campaign, or a whisper campaign to sway public opinion. Public opinion now relies on organic information. Now empowered by technology, consumers, voters, government, and civic leaders are on more of a level playing field, and they are forced to make decisions that are formed around truth rather than perception. Local communities better control truths like schools, racial minorities are as likely to be good neighbors to you as the neighbors that look like you and gay couples can raise happy, well-adjusted children as well as traditional couples. Heavy issues like these are actually in the same bag as commuter rail. The undeniable, now obvious truth has obliterated the misdirection tactics of opponents: people have to be able to get from place to place logically. Suppose that damages your property value or sense of community. In that case, you should have purchased property or joined a community where sharing and mutual respect are the bedrock, not protectionism and suspicion.

I know they spent a lot of money building the DFW airport, which has been a huge economic boon to both cities. To the extent that we protect the investment today to the disadvantage of many in the community it serves, we are wrong. Obviously, these old-school economics have kept direct access via modern transportation by the citizens of Dallas and Fort Worth an elusive proposition. The loss of parking revenue to DFW airport may or may not be balanced by the increased usage of the facility if you travel to it by light rail. I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter anyway. Forcing people to drive big old gas-guzzling cars and pay exorbitant parking fees, ride expensive taxis, or jump through hoops to get there by public transportation only serves one single purpose: airport profitability. The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth have figured out that the usefulness and accessibility of the facility we paid for are considerations that must come first. They will figure out how to meet that purpose AND maintain the airport as a financially viable enterprise. A conventioneer visiting Dallas OR Fort Worth should be able to travel from either place to another or get to the airport without spending half a day and all of his money. It costs $50 plus tip to go from the Fort Worth Omni Hotel to DFW airport by taxi. The TRE is lovely, but it takes more work for visitors to figure out. They made it that way because it keeps the cabs and high-rent DFW parking lots full.

Next December, The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will open the Orange Line extension to DFW terminal A. Expect to see the TEX Rail station at Terminal B soon after that, which will finally link passengers DIRECTLY to The Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center and the T&P Station. It will be a little while before you can get on the TEX Rail at DFW Airport and blast straight past the T&P via light rail to your home in Summer Creek Ranch, way down on the other side of I-20. Sure, there will be many public hearings between now and then. Still, the organic truth that public transportation is good for people, the environment, tourism, and the community will quash the concerns of local neighborhood associations. What if folks from different socioeconomic classes, races, or nationalities disembark from public transportation and walk in front of my house? What if they buy a house next door to me? What if their kids play with my kids? What if one of their kids marries one of my kids when they grow up? I admit these arguments sound ridiculous and wrong. Still, those arguments will have to be made now by anyone opposing quality public transportation in any community. For that reason, public transportation is on the horizon in Fort Worth, Texas.

For more information, visit https://ridetrinitymetro.org/texrail-schedule/