It’s Official: The T and Grapevine Sign Agreement for New Commuter Rail
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS (May 30, 2007) – The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) and the City of Grapevine reached another milestone in bringing commuter rail to the city with the signing of an interlocal agreement on May 30 at Grapevine City Hall.
The agreement between the public transportation agency and the city provides for delivery of receipts from a 3/8 cent sales tax from Grapevine to The T to build and operate the commuter rail line.
The official signing ceremony and reception included Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate, representatives from the city council, city staff and chamber of commerce, and The T’s Board Chairman Bob Jameson and other representatives from The T board and agency officials.
“We are excited to be a partner with The T in this rail project,” said Mayor Tate, “and the interest by Grapevine in this train was reflected in the vote (in November),” Tate said.
“Trains are coming of age again,” said Tate. “One hundred years ago, where the trains came those cities flourished, and the towns they passed by died. Trains are a part of our history and now will be part of our future. We celebrated today, and now we’ll go back and get to work on making it happen,” Tate said.
The agreement covers the acquisition, construction, operation and maintenance of the new commuter rail and its corridor, including rail facilities and stations. In addition to Grapevine’s sales tax receipts, other funding for the rail project will be from The T, Tarrant County, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Texas Mobility Fund and federal funding sources.
The new commuter rail would follow existing rail lines from the South Hulen area in Fort Worth running northeast across Tarrant County into Grapevine. From Grapevine, new rail will be built into the northern end of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Target completion date is 2012.
T Board Chairman Robert (Bob) Jameson said, “The relationship that has developed between the City of Grapevine and The T is apparent today in the energy and camaraderie that exists between everyone here. It’s exciting to feel the enthusiasm and spirit of cooperation for this new rail project.”
“The T appreciates the opportunity to be in partnership with you, and we congratulate you on your wisdom, foresight and leadership of the City of Grapevine,” Jameson said.
