DART Cotton Belt (Silver Line) Regional Rail Corridor

The DART Silver Line will help address the growing number of residents and employees in the eastern portion of the region with a convenient and efficient connection to DFW Airport.

The project includes ten stations and 40 structures, including superstructure types such as thru-girder, prestressed girder and various substructure types chosen to meet the challenges of fitting through the urban environment between DFW Airport and the northeast Dallas metro area. Jacobs engineered several innovative solutions during the project, including two aesthetic arches (Richardson and Midway Arches), an aesthetic truss with ornamental base structures, several bridges designed as thru-girders due to the vertical clearance constraints between the required track profile and the existing roadways, noise walls on the bridges through urban areas and an elaborate pump station and transition ties on either side of the bridges.

Jacobs used different bridge teams nationwide and internationally for both engineering and non-engineering capabilities. For example, we leveraged early relationship building with our India Global Delivery Center (GDC) team to build trust. The GDC’s flexibility, including the ability to work extended hours, was critical for meeting deliverables and round-the-clock schedule requirements. The initial process of standardizing drawings, design criteria and identifying design interpretations of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) code was essential to an efficient delivery as the design progressed. In a project like this, it was important to develop Design Criteria to reflect interpretations of code requirements as different teams can interpret code requirements in different ways.

The support from our India GDC team was a differentiator that allowed us to deliver this project. By using our national and international expertise, we showcase the best of how we leverage talent from around the world to deliver global solutions locally.

The new Silver Line will give residents who work in the DFW area a safer, cleaner, and faster option to and from work. This will be DART's first east-to-west commuter rail line. The project is on schedule, with approximately 95% of the overall design complete and 35% built. The Silver Line is anticipated to be operational in 2026.

Jacobs is a globally recognized leader in the safe and efficient delivery of rail and transit solutions – from planning, design and development to delivery and management. We bring value through cost-effective solutions and services ranging from transportation planning, design, engineering and construction management to land development, environmental permitting and support with innovative financing measures and public-private partnerships.