DART Operation Access simulates fare gating at selected stations
DART Operation Access is expected to place enforcement teams at five light rail stations for 90 days. At selected stations, a controlled-access pilot will simulate a fare-gated system. The agency has announced no gate construction as part of the demonstration.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit set out the plan on 9 September 2026. The exercise should start in late fall and carry on through the winter. It covers Bachman, MLK Jr., Forest Lane, 8th & Corinth and White Rock. The agency picked those stations on incident data. It also weighed their coverage of lines that enter and leave downtown Dallas. Each team mixes fare enforcement officers, transit security officers and DART Police. They check tickets at control points and on board trains.
What a simulated gate line is meant to prove
Among the five, the controlled-access pilot goes to the stations where fare-evasion rates run highest. However, DART has not said which stations those are. Nor has it described any gate hardware for the exercise.
The agency says the 90 days will produce data on staffing, passenger flow, technology needs and the results of enforcement. That evidence is meant to shape later security investment.
The announcement gives no systemwide fare-evasion rate and no station-level figures, although DART says it knows where the rates are worst. On the release alone, therefore, readers cannot size the problem or build a financial case for gates.
The board sees the gating review first
The timetable puts the board review first. DART plans to brief its board on the second phase on 13 October. That review asks whether gating the rail platforms is feasible. Directors will also consider stationing a uniformed security officer in each train’s leading car. Possible changes to fare policy and to the Rider Code of Conduct sit on the same list. Because the demonstration is expected to start in late fall, the review comes first and cannot draw on any of its results. DART has not said whether directors will vote on gating that day.
Gating costs at Sound Transit and St. Louis
Two comparable operators have gone further, and both put a price on the answer.
In Seattle, Sound Transit’s board cleared a pilot on 27 August 2026 that retrofits gates at as many as 14 Link stations. Sound Transit aims to install them around 2029 to 2030. An assessment published this year put the break-even point two to three years after the gates go in. The agency also modelled net fare revenue rising by $32.8 million to $82.7 million a year. Sound Transit says it will now begin contracting for manufacture, delivery and installation. It also lists Dallas among the street-level systems whose stations opened without fare gates.
Metro Transit in St. Louis is further along again. Secure Platform Plan enhancements now stand at all 38 MetroLink stations, at an estimated $52 million for gates, fencing and cameras. HNTB held the engineering design contract, while Masabi won the electronic fare collection role. The equipment includes rotary gates plus swing gates for accessible and emergency access. Metro Transit laid out a three-phase activation plan. Its July release scheduled the final 12 stations for 17 August 2026, subject to the delivery and installation of the remaining ticket vending machines. The new MidAmerica Airport station was due to follow separately later in the year. Meanwhile the barrier study behind the work dates from 2017.
| Operator | Stage reached | Stations covered | Money on the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Area Rapid Transit | 90-day demonstration imitating gates; board review of platform gating set for 13 October 2026 | Operation Access: five; controlled-access locations not disclosed | No gate spending announced |
| Sound Transit | Pilot cleared by the board on 27 August 2026; installation aimed at about 2029 to 2030 | As many as 14 Link stations | Modelled net fare gain of $32.8m to $82.7m a year; break-even two to three years after the gates go in |
| Metro Transit, St. Louis | Enhancements installed at all 38 stations; July plan scheduled the final 12 gate activations for 17 August 2026, subject to equipment delivery | All 38 MetroLink stations | Estimated $52m for gates, fencing and cameras |
What DART has bought so far
The agency is not starting from nothing. In November 2025 its board approved a $16.8 million camera contract with Preferred Technologies. DART called it the first big overhaul of its camera system since 2010. The same meeting added a $7.8 million shelter cleaning contract with Texas Elite Facility Services. In April 2026 the board then lifted the ceiling on its security officer contract to $32.1 million. It also extended the agency’s mental health partnership with Parkland Health.
| Date | What the board approved | Contractor or partner | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 November 2025 | Replacement of the surveillance camera estate across trains, buses, platforms and facilities | Preferred Technologies | $16.8m |
| 19 November 2025 | Extended and enlarged cleaning of bus stops and shelters | Texas Elite Facility Services | $7.8m |
| 28 April 2026 | Higher ceiling on the contract for transit security officer services | Not named in the announcement | $32.1m ceiling |
| 28 April 2026 | Five-month extension of the DART Cares mental health response teams | Parkland Health | Not stated in the announcement |
Board chair Randall Bryant said DART had approved $35 million for cameras and cleaning, plus another $32 million for diversion programmes. The Operation Access announcement does not identify the approvals behind those totals. Nor do the two earlier releases reconcile the categories: they record $24.6 million of camera and cleaning contracts, and a separate $32.1 million ceiling for security officer services, which neither release ties to diversion work. For suppliers the immediate position is narrow. Dallas has announced a staff-led demonstration and an October feasibility review, but no fare-gate procurement.
