Holiday News

Fort Worth and Dallas enact special holiday schedule for buses and trains

Some riders will ride free on New Year's Eve.

Courtesy of TRE

Dallas-Fort Worth's major public transit agencies including Trinity Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), have all enacted special schedules for the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

One bonus: Free transportation will be offered the night of New Year’s Eve on DART buses, light rail, Paratransit Services, and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) between EBJ Union Station and CentrePort/DFW Airport Station for everyone from 6 pm until the end of service, courtesy of Coors Light, which is picking up the tab.

TRINITY METRO

Christmas:

Friday, December 24

Regular service: TEXRail, The Dash, Molly the Trolley

Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule:

No inbound bus routes to Fort Worth Central Station after 7:15 pm
No express bus service
ACCESS paratransit will operate on a Sunday schedule with final pick-up at 7:15 pm
ZIPZONE ends service at 8 pm

Trinity Railway Express will operate on a Saturday schedule. Ticket sales kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station open 8 am-5 pm. Customer care is open 5 am-5 pm at 817-215-8600.

Saturday, December 25

Regular service: TEXRail, Alliance ZIPZONE, The Dash, Molly the Trolley

Modified service:

Buses and ACCESS paratransit: Sunday/holiday schedule
Southside ZIPZONE: Sunday schedule
No Mercantile or South Tarrant ZIPZONE
No Trinity Railway Express (TRE) service
Ticket sales kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station closed

Customer care is open 8 am-5 pm at 817-215-8600.

New Year's

Friday, December 31

Regular service: Buses, ACCESS paratransit, TEXRail, ZIPZONE, The Dash, Molly the Trolley

Trinity Railway Express will operate on a Saturday schedule.

Ticket sales kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station open 8 am-5 pm, and customer care is open 5 am-10 pm at 817-215-8600.

Saturday, January 1

Regular service: TEXRail, ZIPZONE, The Dash, Molly the Trolley

Buses and ACCESS paratransit will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule.

No Trinity Railway Express (TRE) service, and the ticket sales kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station will be closed.

Customer care is open 8 am-5 pm at 817-215-8600.

DART

Christmas:

Friday, December 24

DART Buses and Light Rail: Sunday schedule
TRE: Saturday schedule

DART Customer Information Center will be open from 8 am-5 pm, but the Customer Care Center, Lost & Found, and administrative offices will all be closed.

DART Paratransit services will operate on a Sunday schedule; the Call Center will be closed Friday-Sunday. Customers wishing to schedule trips by phone for any of the three days will need to do so by Thursday December 23, but can schedule and cancel trips online 24 hours a day at www.DART.org/paratransit.

Saturday, December 25

DART Buses and Light Rail: Sunday schedule
TRE: No service

DART administrative offices, Customer Information Center, Customer Care Center, and Lost & Found will all be closed.

New Year's:

Friday, December 31

DART Buses and Light Rail: Operating on a Saturday schedule
TRE: Saturday schedule, with a 20-minute after the game special for the Stars game

DART Customer Information Center will be open 8 am-5 pm. Customer Care Center, Lost & Found, and the administrative offices will be closed.

DART Paratransit services will operate on a Sunday schedule. The Call Center will be closed Friday-Sunday.

Saturday, January 1

DART Buses: Saturday schedule
DART Light Rail: Sunday schedule
TRE: No service

DART GoLink will operate only in zones that provide Sunday service. Customer Information will be open from 8 am-5 pm. Customer Care, Lost & Found, and administrative offices will be closed.

For more info, call 214-979-1111 or visit DART.org and TrinityRailwayExpress.org.

transportation holidays traffic

FWPD News

Fort Worth's longtime police chief Neil Noakes will retire in 2025

FWPD

FWPD chief Neil Noakes

After more than 25 years of dedicated service to the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Police Department, Police Chief Neil Noakes will retire from law enforcement, effective May 2025.

Chief Noakes has been with the FW Police Department since 2000 and was appointed Chief of Police in 2021 by City Manager David Cooke.

In a statement, Noakes says that he's retiring to focus on his family.

"My emotions are mixed because I have been with the FWPD for half my life and have truly enjoyed my career," Noakes says. "Being part of our FWPD family has been an incredible honor and a privilege. I work with amazing people who strive to make a positive difference every day. I have also enjoyed working with an incredibly supportive Mayor, Council, and City Manager’s Office."

"My decision comes down to family," he says. "I have a supportive and loving wife and children who have sacrificed so much and supported me and the Fort Worth Police Department. I became a grandfather in July, and I have a second grandchild on the way. It’s time for me to focus on my family."

Chief Noakes has held various ranks and served in multiple areas of the department, including Patrol, DWI, Motors, and Internal Affairs.

Before being named Chief of Police, Noakes served as Deputy Chief, overseeing the South Command. He earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Tarleton State University and his master's degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Texas Christian University (TCU). Additionally, he is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s 137th Administrative Officers Course and TCU’s inaugural Leadership, Executive, and Administrative Development Program (L.E.A.D. #1).

His accomplishments include establishing a new Wellness Unit and his involvement in youth engagement programs such as Operation Progress, Read2Win, All Pro Dad, and the City of Fort Worth’s Education Initiative.

In a statement Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke praises Chief Noakes for his focus on community problem-solving and reducing crime, even despite Fort Worth’s population growth over the last decade.

“You’ve got to love the job to be good at being a police chief and he’s an extraordinary police chief," Cooke says. "If you hear him talk about the officers and the staff that work at the police department you get this beautiful understanding of what it’s like to be a police family. He leads the police department with that type of ethic and family feeling."

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says she has "nothing but respect" for Noakes' decision to retire and put family first.

"I’m so grateful to Neil, his wife, and his family for the more than 25 years of service, sacrifice, and leadership that he has provided to Fort Worth, Parker says. "He has led the Fort Worth Police Department through some of the most difficult times our city has faced with humility, transparency, and compassion for the community as his top priority. He is truly leaving this department better than he found it."

politics