Local transportation officials are considering an extension of the M-Line trolley streetcar route further north into the Knox-Henderson neighborhood.
The streetcar currently runs a 4.6-mile route along McKinney Avenue through Downtown, the Arts District, and Uptown Dallas. The trolley, which was launched in 1989, serves about 400,000 riders per year with seven cars in operation.
“A northern extension would expand this network to reach Knox-Henderson, one of Dallas’ fastest-growing neighborhoods,” the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) shared in the organization’s Local Motion newsletter.
Specifically, NCTCOG officials wrote that the potential extension of the M-Line trolley would improve connections between Knox-Henderson, Uptown, and Downtown Dallas and foster more access to the Katy Trail and Cole Park.
The NCTCOG and the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA) are studying potential extension routes, where stops could be placed, infrastructure needs, and funding sources for the project. NCTCOG staff are working with a consultant team led by HNTB Corporation on the study. The study is expected to take about a year to complete, with a final report expected around August of 2027.
Opportunities for public input will be announced this fall and continue through 2027, officials say.
The idea of extending the M-Line isn’t new — it’s been discussed for years, said Ezra Pratt, principal transportation planner with the North Central Texas Council of Governments. A boom in ridership since 2020 has added fuel to the argument in favor of sending the trolley further north.
“During the pandemic, and even after, MATA, the streetcar saw a really big boost in use,” Pratt said. “I think both our staff and MATA realize this is the best time because we really need to be sure that we can plan in the context of being able to meet the existing and future needs of the area.”
The study is being funded by a federal surface transportation block grant. Preliminary design of the project could begin once it’s complete, according to Pratt.
If the M-Line is extended into the Knox-Henderson area, it would be the first growth in the streetcar route since 2015, when the route was expanded to connect to Klyde Warren Park and go further south into Downtown.
But the extension wouldn’t be unprecedented. In the early 20th century, the M-Line used to run up Cole Avenue to Knox Street before connecting to Abbott Avenue in Highland Park and Hillcrest in University Park to create a route that stretched from Downtown to SMU, Pratt said.
“Much of (the existing track) is on that historic right of way from when streetcars ran back then,” Pratt said. “In fact, in some portions, especially on McKinney, closer into Uptown, they’re still running on … original track that they basically unearthed under the pavement after so many years.”
Pratt said the goal of extending the M-Line trolley now is the same as it was more than a century ago: increased connectivity.
“If that worked back then, then maybe it can work now,” he said, “especially as there’s so much new development occurring in this corridor between Uptown and Knox Henderson.”
Author
