TEXRail train storage facility opens

Trinity Metro and other local officials yesterday held a grand-opening ceremony for a new equipment maintenance facility that will house TEXRail trains in Fort Worth, Texas.

The 53,000-square-foot building includes three maintenance pits and a train washing area. All eight TEXRail train sets will be housed and maintained at the facility, which also includes offices, a parts warehouse and dispatch operations, Trinity Metro officials said in a press release.

"The craftsmanship and quality of the equipment maintenance facility lay the groundwork for efficient TEXRail operations and maintenance," said Trinity Metro President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Ballard.

Both TEXRail and the Trinity Railway Express will be dispatched from the facility. Dispatchers control movements for all trains operating on Trinity Metro's lines, including those that belong to BNSF Railway Co., Union Pacific Railroad, Dallas Garland & Northeastern Railroad, Fort Worth and Western Railroad, Grapevine Vintage Railroad and Amtrak.

Two TEXRail train sets are in Fort Worth and a third will be arriving in Texas later this month. All eight train sets will be delivered by the end of the year. The units' shells are being manufactured in Hungary and then finished at Stadler's new plant in Salt Lake City.

The 27-mile TEXRail commuter-rail line is slated to begin serving passengers in December. The line will connect Grapevine to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and downtown Fort Worth.