dart cotton belt operations and maintenance plan · at addison transit center. 2. presents the...

DART Cotton Belt Operations and Maintenance Plan

DRAFT December, 8, 2017

This Plan was Prepared by LTK Engineering Services

for DART General Planning Consultant Six Managed by HDR

Operations and Maintenance Plan

DRAFT December 8, 2017 | ii

Revision Section Description Date Approved

0 Issued for comment 8 December 2017


DRAFT December 8, 2017 | iii

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 1

2 General System Description ................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Alignment and Stations ........................................................................................................... 2

2.1.1 Alignment ................................................................................................ 2

2.1.2 Stations .................................................................................................. 3

2.2 Rolling Stock ........................................................................................................................... 4

2.2.1 Revenue and Non-Revenue Track and Structures ......................................... 6

2.2.2 Train Control & Communications ................................................................ 8

2.2.3 Equipment and Maintenance Facility (EMF) .................................................. 8

2.2.4 Fare Collection System .............................................................................10

3 Operating Assumptions ........................................................................................................ 11

3.1 DRAFT Service Goals .......................................................................................................... 11

3.2 Hours of Service ................................................................................................................... 12

3.3 Operating Rules and External Regulations .......................................................................... 12

3.4 Operating Issues and Assumptions ...................................................................................... 12

3.5 Placing Trains Into Service and Taking Trains Out of Service ............................................. 12

3.6 Train Crew Personnel and Duties ......................................................................................... 13

3.7 Freight Operations ................................................................................................................ 13

4 Initial Operations Analysis .................................................................................................... 15

4.1 Estimated Running Time ...................................................................................................... 15

4.2 Terminal Times ..................................................................................................................... 15

4.3 Conceptual Operating Timetables ........................................................................................ 15

4.4 Equipment Rotations & Peak Vehicle Calculations .............................................................. 16

4.4.1 Gap or Ready Reserve Trains ....................................................................17

4.5 Spare Vehicle Calculations ................................................................................................... 17

4.5.1 Total Sum of Vehicles Required Out of Service ............................................17

4.5.2 Spare Ratio ............................................................................................17

4.6 Operating Statistics............................................................................................................... 17

5 Alternative Service Scenario Analysis .................................................................................. 19

5.1 20-minute Headways ............................................................................................................ 19


DRAFT December 8, 2017 | iv

5.2 Through-Service to/from Fort Worth ..................................................................................... 19

6 Maintenance and Reliability .................................................................................................. 22

6.1 Maintenance Strategies ........................................................................................................ 22

6.2 Vehicle Maintenance ............................................................................................................ 22

6.2.1 Fueling, Servicing and Inspection ..............................................................23

6.2.2 Programmed Life Cycle Maintenance (LCM) .................................................24

6.2.3 Maintenance Management Information System ...........................................25

6.2.4 Running Repair and Corrective Maintenance ...............................................25

6.2.5 Heavy Repair ..........................................................................................25

6.2.6 Mid-Life Overhaul ....................................................................................26

6.3 Support Systems and Fixed Facilities Maintenance ............................................................. 26

6.3.1 Train Control, Grade Crossing Protection and Communications Equipment ......26

6.3.2 Fare Collection Equipment ........................................................................28

6.3.3 Track, Roadbed and Structures .................................................................28

6.3.4 Stations .................................................................................................29

6.3.5 Equipment and Maintenance Facility (EMF) .................................................30

7 O&M Staffing and Costs ....................................................................................................... 33

7.1 Organization and Labor Requirements................................................................................. 33

7.2 Fuel, Utilities, and Other Operations Costs .......................................................................... 34

7.3 Annual Operations & Maintenance Expenditure Estimate ................................................... 35

7.4 Comparable Operations ....................................................................................................... 35

8 Appendix A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial Operations ....................................... 37

9 Appendix B: Alternative Schedule for 20-minute Cotton Belt Headways ............................. 38

10 Appendix C: Alternative Schedule for Cotton Belt with through-service to Fort Worth ........ 40

11 Appendix D: O&M Cost Build-up for Cotton Belt Initial Operations ...................................... 41

12 Appendix E: Trackage Rights Charges by Public Rail Infrastructure Owners to Freight

Contract Operators ......................................................................................................................................... 42


DRAFT December 8, 2017 | v

List of Figures Figure 2-1 DART Cotton Belt Alignment and Stations ...................................................................................... 3

Figure 2-2 General Arrangement of DART Cotton Belt DMU ........................................................................... 5

Figure 2-3 Rendering of the DART Cotton Belt DMU ........................................................................................ 5

Figure 2-4 DART Cotton Belt Initial Operating System (IOS) Track Schematic ................................................. 7

Figure 2-5 Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF) .......................................................................................... 9

Figure 3-1 Routes served in one hour of peak service in Cotton Belt Initial Operations scenario ................. 11

Figure 5-1 Routes served in one hour of peak service with through-running (requires TEXRail capacity

improvements) ............................................................................................................................................... 20

Figure 5-2 Routes served in one hour of off-peak service with through-running. ......................................... 21

Figure 7-1 Operations Department Organization Chart ................................................................................. 33

List of Tables Table 2-1 DART Cotton Belt Stations ................................................................................................................ 4

Table 4-1 Trainset rotation to equalize mileage across the DMU fleet .......................................................... 16

Table 4-2 Operating Statistics for Initial Operations between Shiloh Rd. and DFW Terminal B .................... 18

Table 6-1 FRA Mandated Inspection Cycles .................................................................................................... 23

Table 6-2 Train Control Maintenance Tasks Planned Frequency ................................................................... 27

Table 6-3 Passenger Track inspection types and recommended frequencies ............................................... 28

Table 7-1 Estimated O&M staffing plan for Cotton Belt in various operating scenarios ............................... 34

Table 7-2 Summary of annual cotton belt O&M costs by category under various operating scenarios ........ 35

Table 7-3 O&M costs for comparable Texas rail transit agencies .................................................................. 36

Table 12-1 Survey of Charges by Public Rail Infrastructure Owners to Freight Contract Operators ............. 43

DART Cotton Belt O&M Plan DRAFT vi

DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act

Commuter Rail: Rail service operating over the national railroad network, primarily oriented toward

passengers traveling into the central business district in the morning, and away from the

CBD in the evening.

Cycle Time: The total round trip running time of a single train, including layovers at each terminal.

DMU: Diesel Multiple Unit. A diesel-powered rail car arranged either for independent

operation or for simultaneous operation with other similar cars when connected to form

a train of such cars.

Dwell Time: The time a transit vehicle is stopped at a station for passenger alighting and boarding.

FRA: Federal Railroad Administration.

FTA: Federal Transit Administration.

GCOR: The General Code of Operating Rules – a standard operating rule book used by most

railroads in the Western United States.

Headway: The elapsed time between the arrivals of successive trains traveling in the same direction

on a given route, usually expressed in minutes.

LCM Life Cycle Maintenance. A maintenance plan designed to maximize the availability and

functionality of rolling stock through a regular-interval program of planned maintenance

events occurring over the useful life of each vehicle.

Layover Time: The time a train spends at the end of a line before starting its next trip.

Load Factor: The ratio of passengers per car or train to the total seats per car or train.

Load Standard: A transit agency’s policy regarding the target load factor.

MOE: Maintenance of Equipment; maintenance of transit vehicles.

MOW: Maintenance of Way; maintenance of tracks, signals, and right of way.

Overhaul: The replacement or renewal of major components or subsystems in a transit vehicle

according to a time and/or mileage based schedule.

PM: Preventive Maintenance, the program of regular inspections and maintenance of the

DART Cotton Belt fleet.

PTC: A system of Positive Train Control meeting the requirements set forth in the Rail Safety

Improvement Act of 2008 and 49CFR 236 Subpart I.

QMP: Qualified Maintenance Person; A qualified person who meets the requirements specified

by the Federal Railroad Administration under 49 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 238.5

and 238.109.

Regional Rail: Rail service similar to Commuter Rail, but more broadly oriented to serve all manner of

trips throughout a metropolis, and not necessarily serving the central business district.

DART Cotton Belt O&M Plan DRAFT 1

1 Executive Summary DART, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy

vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs. Currently, DART’s commuter rail service consists of a single line, the

Trinity Rail Express (TRE), operated jointly with the neighboring Fort Worth Transit Authority, “The T”, directly

connecting the Dallas and Fort Worth Central Business Districts.

DART’s Cotton Belt corridor (Figure 2-1), running generally east-west across the northern part of the Dallas-Fort

Worth Metroplex, connecting Plano on the east with Downtown Fort Worth on the west, is a railroad alignment

that is no longer part of a former Class 1 main line, but retains some residual freight service. DART is in the

process of planning and implementing a regional rail passenger system under the Cotton Belt name linking Plano

with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Construction on the western half of the original corridor

(Fort Worth to DFW) is being led by the T, which will operate trains on this segment in service branded as

TEXRail.

This Operations and Maintenance Plan has three major functions:

1. Provides summary information on DART in general and DART’s Cotton Belt line in particular, including a

description of alignment and stations, vehicles, train control and other support systems and facilities,

operating assumptions, and maintenance requirements. The Cotton Belt is designed to function

efficiently on a 30-minute peak period headway, offering timed transfers to TEXRail at DFW North

Station, as well as the potential for timed transfers to the DART Green Line at Downtown Carrollton,

DART Red and Orange lines at 12th St and Cityline/Bush Stations, and to bus services on a pulse system

at Addison Transit Center.

2. Presents the opportunities and disadvantages of potential future operations concepts, including higher

frequencies and/or a through-service whereby Cotton Belt trains would run through from Shiloh Rd. to

Fort Worth, bypassing DFW Terminal B and sharing track with TEXRail from the DFW North area to Forth

Worth. The analysis concludes that increasing frequency so that Cotton Belt trains run every 20 minutes

in the peak is not feasible due to the constraints on terminal operations at DFW Terminal B.

Furthermore, decreasing service to the airport during the peak period so that hourly transfer-free

service could be provided from Plano to Fort Worth is not feasible until the TEXRail corridor has

sufficient capacity.

3. Details cost estimates for the initial operation of the line, which is expected to enter revenue service in

2022. The system requires a fleet of seven DMUs (five required for peak revenue service), and would

cost an estimated $17.8 million annually (excluding consideration of revenue generated).


2 General System Description DART was created by voters in 1983 and covers 13 cities within the Metroplex. Since that time, DART rail service

has grown tremendously. With the extension of the Orange Line to DFW Airport station at Terminal A in 2014

and the extension of the Blue Line to UNT Dallas in 2016, DART operates the most extensive light rail system in

the United States, with 93 miles of track. Meanwhile, in cooperation with the Fort Worth Transportation

Authority (FWTA, “The T”) in Fort Worth, the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail system has been

operating since 1996.

The DART Cotton Belt Line is a planned regional rail service approximately 27 miles in length, running from Plano

to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Terminal B. This initial operation will serve the following

intermediate cities: Grapevine, Coppell, Carrollton, Addison, Dallas, and Richardson. There are several freight

connections with the line and freight service will continue on the Cotton Belt after the advent of passenger

service. At the west end, the corridor continues to Fort Worth (the segment from the DFW branch junction to

Fort Worth will initially only be served by TEXRail) though in the future DART Cotton Belt service could operate

from Plano through to Fort Worth, bypassing DFW. Initial DART passenger service between Plano and DFW is

expected to begin at the end of 2022.

2.1 Alignment and Stations

2.1.1 Alignment DART purchased the entire Cotton Belt right-of-way from Fort Worth to Wylie, about ten miles east of Plano,

from the St. Louis Southwestern Railway in 1990, and the corridor has been included in DART plans since 1983.

In preparation for the environmental review process, the Alternatives & Environmental Considerations Report

advanced the design to 5%, forming the basis of this plan. The alignment is shown in Figure 2-1, with DART

passenger trains following the original Cotton Belt corridor except for new passenger-only rights-of-way to serve

the Cypress Waters station, to run parallel to the DART Red and Orange light rail lines between Cityline/Bush

and a new 12th St station in Plano, and from the DFW North area into DFW Terminal B. It has been determined

that the alignment between Plano and DFW will be double-tracked in its entirety.

At the western end of the corridor, DART Cotton Belt-to-DFW trains will turn south after crossing under TX-121

to serve the DFW North station. This station will be also be served by TEXRail trains, slated to begin operating in

2018. From DFW North station to the terminal station at DFW Terminal B, Cotton Belt and TEXRail trains will

share a double-track alignment; in general, under normal operating conditions, DART and TEXRail trains will

serve different platforms. Under abnormal or emergency conditions, any train would be physically capable of

serving any platform, and the dispatcher would be free to direct train movements in accordance with recovery

and response strategies. In the future, a direct DART Cotton Belt passenger service operating to and from

TEXRail’s corridor to Fort Worth may be possible by introducing passenger trains to the third, east-west leg of

the wye north of the DFW North station. This would allow for through passenger train operation from Plano to

Fort Worth, bypassing the airport. The wye is also the one place on the railroad where trainsets can be turned

without using freight trackage, should it be found necessary to do so.


Figure 2-1 DART Cotton Belt Alignment and Stations

In addition to passenger service, several freight operators are active in this corridor: Dallas, Garland &

Northeastern Railroad (DGNO, a Genesee & Wyoming short line operator); Fort Worth & Western (FWWR); and

Kansas City Southern (KCS). In addition, the BNSF Railway crosses the Cotton Belt corridor in Downtown

Carrollton, although a flyover for Cotton Belt traffic is currently part of the design. As of January 2010, freight

operation over the Cotton Belt from Knoll Trail to Renner Junction has been abandoned.

2.1.2 Stations As shown in Table 2-1, Cotton Belt trains will serve 12 stations between DFW and Plano. All platforms will be 350

feet long, and connections to other transit services will be available at all stations.

Milepost Station Name Connecting Rail Services Connecting Bus Services?

614 DFW Terminal B TEXRail DART LRT Orange Line

612 DFW North TEXRail

608 Cypress Waters Yes

603 Downtown Carrollton DART LRT Green Line Yes

598 Addison Transit Center Yes


Milepost Station Name Connecting Rail Services Connecting Bus Services?

597 Knoll Trail Yes

596 Preston Road Yes

594 Coit Yes

592 UT-Dallas Yes

589 Cityline/Bush DART LRT Orange Line DART LRT Red Line

Yes

589 12th Street DART LRT Orange Line DART LRT Red Line

Yes

587 Shiloh Rd Yes

Table 2-1 DART Cotton Belt Stations

2.2 Rolling Stock In 2015, TEXRail signed a contract with Swiss carbuilder Stadler Rail AG (Stadler) to deliver eight FLIRT (Fast Light

Innovative Regional Train) diesel multiple unit cars (DMUs) for operation on the Fort Worth-to-DFW TEXRail line;

delivery is scheduled in anticipation of the opening of revenue service in 2018. DMUs are the optimal technology

for provision of passenger service on their corridor, as platform space will be at a premium, and DMUs do not

require platform space for non-passenger vehicles (i.e. a locomotive). To comply with federal Buy America and

Americans with Disability Act rules, Stadler is manufacturing these vehicles at its new factory in Salt Lake City,

Utah, and the FLIRT is designed for level boarding from platforms 23 inches above the top of rail to comply with

Americans with Disabilities Act provisions.

Because of the co-mingled service on the DFW branch and the potential for future through-running of DART

Plano-to-Fort Worth trains onto the TEXRail corridor, it is essential that the DART Cotton Belt vehicle be

compatible with TEXRail operations. Although DART has not committed to a specific vehicle for Cotton Belt

service, the FLIRT’s performance characteristics have been used for the rail operations simulations underlying

this plan.

A prototypical DART Cotton Belt DMU is illustrated in Figure 2-2 and Figure 2-3. It is expected to have the

following general characteristics:

Maximum dimensions (initial configuration): 275’ long x 10’6” wide x 14’8” high

o Can be extended to 318’ long with additional seating space

Maximum weight: 450,000 pounds empty

Seated Capacity (initial configuration)

o 196 fixed passenger seats per multiple unit

o 28 flip-up seats per multiple unit

o 2 wheelchair spaces per multiple unit

o 4 bicycle spaces per multiple unit

Right-of-way interfaces:

o Minimum horizontal curve radius: 603.8’ (mainline)

o Maximum gradient: 4%

Propulsion and braking performance:


o Minimum initial acceleration rate: 1.717 mphps

o Maximum braking rate: 2.5 mphps (restricted to 1.6 mphps in simulation)

o Maximum normal service speed: 79 mph

Car floor and boarding interface height:

o 23” above top of rail (nominal); level boarding at all doors at all stations, meeting ADA

guidelines

o Correct boarding height interface maintained by pneumatic load leveling system

Figure 2-2 General Arrangement of DART Cotton Belt DMU

Figure 2-3 Rendering of the DART Cotton Belt DMU

In addition to the DMU fleet, the DART Cotton Belt system will consist of many other elements, including

revenue and non-revenue tracks, bridges and culverts, stations, train control and communications equipment,

an Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF), and fare collection and maintenance equipment.


2.2.1 Revenue and Non-Revenue Track and Structures The main line of the Cotton Belt will consist of two main tracks, installed and maintained to support a maximum

operating speed of 79 mph. Some segments of non-revenue track are also being built, primarily at the

Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF) where the Cotton Belt DMUs will be maintained, serviced, and stored

overnight. There is also a freight crossing and several freight spurs connecting to the main line; these will be

maintained as documented in Section 6. A schematic of the planned track system is shown in Figure 2-4. Cotton

Belt passenger service will deviate from the existing freight alignment in three places, where new track will be

constructed:

South of the DFW North area wye new tracks will be constructed to connect to DFW Terminal B,

including a shared TEXRail and Cotton Belt two-track bridge over TX-114.

Between MP 607 and MP 609, passenger service will go south of the current Cotton Belt Line to serve

the Cypress Waters station.

Between MP 589 and MP 591 in Plano, passenger service will continue due east adjacent to the

President George Bush Turnpike before turning north to run parallel to the existing DART LRT tracks. It

will serve the Cityline/Bush and 12th St. Stations near the corresponding DART Red and Orange line

stations before reconnecting with the current alignment.

Additionally, immediately east of the Downtown Carrollton Station, an aerial structure with two passenger-only

tracks will fly over the at-grade BNSF freight crossing, eliminating the potential for BNSF freight trains to

interfere with Cotton Belt passenger service.


Figure 2-4 DART Cotton Belt Initial Operating System (IOS) Track Schematic


2.2.2 Train Control & Communications The Cotton Belt’s train control system will be made up of two coordinated but distinct components:

A Positive Train Control (PTC) system; and

A Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) system, which remotely sets powered track switches and wayside

signals governing them, either automatically or through action taken by the Dispatcher.

Passenger and freight movements on the Cotton Belt, TRE, and TEXRail lines will be monitored, authorized and

controlled by Dispatchers located at TEXRail’s yard, with TRE having a dedicated desk and Cotton Belt/TEXRail

sharing a desk. Train operations on the Cotton Belt are currently, and will continue to be, governed by the

General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) and the DART System Employees’ Timetable and Special Instructions,

to be prepared by DART. The Timetable and Special Instructions, as well as GCOR, govern the operations of

freight operators when using Cotton Belt trackage. These will be revised and amplified by staff as required to

accommodate regional rail service staff.

All passenger and freight trains operating along the corridor will be dispatched on DART’s behalf. On the Cotton

Belt’s mainline, all tracks will be signaled for bi-directional running utilizing Centralized Traffic Control (CTC). In

general, the CTC system will be designed to function automatically, with pre-programmed scheduled meets

occurring at specified passing locations when trains leave originating terminals on time. Dispatchers will

constantly monitor system operations and intervene on an exception basis when delays require Dispatcher

intervention and the application of recovery strategies. During normal operational windows, the Dispatcher will

control train movements at terminal locations to ensure on-time departures. During freight operational

windows, the DART Dispatcher will control all traffic flow, including work trains and other on-track equipment

such as hi-rail vehicles and maintenance equipment.

To meet the Positive Train Control requirements of the Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008, Cotton Belt

will employ PTC based on I-ETMS technology, consistent with the system used by BNSF and UPRR (as well as

TEXRail and TRE). All signals and switches at control points can be controlled remotely by the Dispatcher, with

auto-routing employed at control points to optimize efficiency and alleviate the burden on the Dispatcher.

A two-way radio system will provide voice communication between the Dispatcher, train crews and other

personnel on the right-of-way. Separate channels will be available for each of the major O&M functions:

operations control, vehicle maintenance, maintenance-of-way, security, and emergency backup.

2.2.3 Equipment and Maintenance Facility (EMF) A centrally located shop and yard facility to support Cotton Belt system operations is vital to efficient

operations. A site has been identified adjacent to the right of way in Carrollton where Luna Road crosses the

right-of-way (MP 604). This site has adequate space for multiple storage and maintenance tracks, both inside a

shop and outside. An initial conceptual design is shown in Figure 2-5. The site will primarily be accessed by staff

and others via Luna Road, though a second emergency access point via Capital Drive will be built at the

northwest corner of the site.

This facility will exclusively serve Cotton Belt trains and equipment, and all Cotton Belt trains and equipment will

be housed there. The EMF will also be the home operating base for the Transportation and Vehicle Maintenance

(Mechanical) Departments. The EMF will house the following operations, maintenance and support functions:

Transportation Department administrative offices and support facilities

Vehicle Maintenance Department administrative offices and support facilities


A train storage yard with adequate storage tracks given the fleet size at various times in the life of the

project. Stub-end storage tracks should be limited to one train to allow for efficient access and egress

A four-track shop with two pit tracks and two flat tracks

A fuel island track and adjacent inspection platform

Sanding tower

Wash building

Vehicle Maintenance equipment, including crane, jacks, and support facilities

Space for component maintenance and repair

Parts room

Employee and visitor parking

Non-revenue vehicle parking and maintenance

Training and meeting facilities

Maintenance-of-Way facilities and a lay-down yard for large items

Vehicle maintenance capabilities will encompass the activities of inspection, servicing, and component repair

and replacement. Some specialized infrequently performed maintenance work may be performed off-site

through subcontracts (i.e., wheel truing, diesel engine rebuild). Some systems and facilities maintenance work

requiring infrequently used specialty skills, such as roof repair, landscape maintenance, or upholstery may also

be handled by contractors.

Figure 2-5 Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF)

The Maintenance of Way Department is responsible for track, bridges and structures, wayside components of

the train control system, stations and grade crossing warning devices. This Department will be responsible for

inspection and maintenance of the entire physical plant between Plano and the DFW North area wye, and may

be responsible for maintenance on the DFW terminal branch depending on the terms of an agreement with

TEXRail. Maintenance-of-Way staff, tools, equipment, and parts, will be housed at the EMF, and adequate

storage space should be designed for this equipment.

After detailed design is completed, it may be determined that a need exists for a secondary space in addition to

the EMF site. This secondary location would likely be used as a lay-down yard for large item storage, or where


parts and equipment, such as grade crossing replacement gates, may be kept for immediate nearby use in case

of short-turnaround emergency need.

2.2.4 Fare Collection System Regional fare integration is a vital part of providing a seamless understandable transit system to passengers.

Although no formal decision has been made by DART, using an established system such as DART’s combination

of paper passes and smartphone-enabled GoPass app is being considered. It is expected that the Cotton Belt

system will use the same Proof-of-Payment (PoP) system as DART light rail, TEXRail, and TRE to foster a seamless

transit experience for passengers. Whether fares use a single flat rate, as on light rail, or will be charged based

on distance traveled, as on TRE, a PoP system can be implemented on the Cotton Belt.

Conductors will be empowered to check for valid tickets, as they do on TRE, although only DART police may

issue citations. Conductors can use radios to communicate to DART staff to inform them of non-compliant or

unruly passengers, requesting a police presence at the next station.

Fare collection equipment can be maintained in an electronics shop at the EMF, or at a shared site with DART for

increased efficiency if all the equipment is interchangeable.


3 Operating Assumptions

3.1 DRAFT Service Goals DART Cotton Belt’s primary function will be to provide safe, convenient, and reliable transportation to

passengers, particularly those individuals making morning and afternoon trips between home, work and/or

school, and/or travelers and workers at DFW. The Cotton Belt, by dint of geography, is designed to facilitate a

number of new connections: it provides a connecting service between the outlying stations of the DART light rail

Green and Red lines; it connects the northern suburbs of Dallas directly to DFW and to one another; and it can

provide a connection to the TEXRail corridor.

Given forecast ridership, vehicle capacity and transit times, the objective is to establish a system balance of

headway and train capacity to meet passenger demand, while conserving capital by minimizing train miles and

fleet size, and the investment in fixed facilities. Growth in demand can be met by adding a single passenger

module to the DMU, although multiple units cannot be coupled together into trainsets in revenue service due to

length compatibility with planned passenger platforms. Overall train lengths will be constrained by station

platform lengths, all of which will be 350 ft.

The operating strategy assumed for Cotton Belt is to offer bi-directional service every day, with added frequency

during peak weekday commuting hours. However, the service must be scheduled around the constraints

imposed by the shared two-track terminal arrangement with TEXRail at DFW Terminal B. An initial review of

TEXRail plans and operating documents suggests that the constraints imposed by single-track segments on the

TEXRail service, combined with integrated operations at the terminal, are the defining factor governing Cotton

Belt schedules.

In light of Cotton Belt’s objectives and constraints, the initial operation of the system will have a 30-minute bi-

directional headway during the peak period (6-9am and 3-7pm), and hourly service the rest of the day and on

weekends. This service will be scheduled to provide connections between Cotton Belt and TEXRail trains at DFW

North, allowing passengers to travel across the region without DART incurring the operating expense of

operating Cotton Belt trains through to Fort Worth. (Figure 3-1)

FtWorth

DFWTerminal B

Plano

Timed ConnectionsAt DFW NorthTEXRail

Cotton Belt

Figure 3-1 Routes served in one hour of peak service in Cotton Belt Initial Operations scenario

All train operations, maintenance of rolling stock and maintenance of way will be performed by a Contract Rail

Services Operator (CRSO). This will include the unified dispatching of all commuter rail services in the region,

DART Cotton Belt, TRE and TEXRail. It is understood that initially the unified dispatch function will be located at

the TEXRail facility. The details and job specifics of staffing will be developed by the CRSO in satisfaction of


performance specifications prepared by DART. What follows is a generalized description of how the railroad will

function, and a discussion of the work that will be performed in order to:

Provide the service envisioned for the Cotton Belt,

Prepare a description of required facilities, and

Develop an estimate of operating and maintenance costs.

3.2 Hours of Service DART has not formally adopted a specific service policy for the Cotton Belt, but general assumptions have been

made for planning and engineering purposes. It is anticipated that service will be offered seven days per week,

with increased service during the morning and evening peak periods on weekdays, and a scaled back service

pattern on weekends which can still serve airport workers as well as more recreational travelers.

Conceptually, weekday service will be oriented to morning and late afternoon peak hours (6:00-9:00am and

3:00-7:00pm), with Cotton Belt trains operating in both directions every half-hour during these times. Outside of

these times (9am-3pm and 7pm-9pm), trains will run hourly in both directions. Service on weekends and on

major holidays has thus far been assumed to follow the off-peak trend of hourly trains, with a slightly shorter

span of service (8am until 8pm).

3.3 Operating Rules and External Regulations Consistent with virtually all other western railroads, the Cotton Belt will adopt the General Code of Operating

Rules (GCOR) as its rulebook. The Cotton Belt will also issue an Employee Timetable and System Special

Instructions. Standard Operating Procedures will also be adopted to prescribe detailed methods for performing

certain tasks.

As a regional railroad connecting to the national freight network, the Cotton Belt is governed by regulations of

the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and DART operating rules and procedures will be in compliance with

these regulations. DART is committed to working closely with the FRA to ensure passenger, worker and

community safety in the performance of its mission to provide service.

3.4 Operating Issues and Assumptions Under normal operations, it is assumed that every scheduled train will stop at every passenger station along the

line on every revenue trip. A key assumption throughout the planning and design phases of the project has been

the selection of the operating headway (time interval between trains operating in the same direction) at

different times of the day and on different days of the week. These headways drive everything from fleet size to

ridership to the location of passing sidings and the effectiveness of integration with TEXRail in the DFW area.

For initial operations, a 30-minute peak headway was chosen, with hourly frequencies off peak. While not rising

to the 12-15 minute standard of frequent transit that allows passengers to “show up and go” without relying on

a schedule, it provides a good balance between frequency and capital cost. It also has the added advantage of

being identical to that of TEXRail, so that operations in the DFW area can be integrated effectively. As long as

Cotton Belt and TEXRail headways are identical, then terminal operations remain consistent throughout the day,

repeating the cycle of arrivals, turns, and departures with each headway.

3.5 Placing Trains Into Service and Taking Trains Out of Service All Cotton Belt trains will be stored, serviced, and maintained overnight at the Luna Road EMF in Carrollton.

Some trains will also be brought into the EMF at midday between peak periods. Train crews will sign on and off


at their originating terminals. Crew runs will be arranged so that train crews return to their home bases at the

ends of their shifts, either by pulling a train in, or by being provided a shuttle van trip. Crews will report to the

Cotton Belt EMF at the beginning of their shifts to receive Daily Operating Bulletins, any other assigned

information, portable radios, and be visually observed by the Operations Supervisor on duty. Crews will perform

walk around inspections of their assigned trainset, and pull out onto the mainline under Dispatcher authority

and direction.

Once on the mainline, trains will be placed in revenue service immediately upon reaching a station. Trains

headed to DFW Terminal B to begin a full run will first serve westbound passengers at Cypress Waters and DFW

North, while trains headed for Shiloh Rd will begin serving eastbound passengers at Downtown Carrollton.

Similarly, trains headed back to the EMF at midday or at in the evening will serve all stations up to Cypress

waters (for trains coming from DFW Terminal B) and Downtown Carrollton (for trains from Shiloh Rd).

Train crews will take pull-in trains through the wash rack, fuel station, and tie up at a yard track as instructed by

the local Carrollton-based Operations Supervisor.

3.6 Train Crew Personnel and Duties Each train will be staffed by two people – an Engineer and a Conductor. To allow for some flexibility of

assignments with a small overall staff, some Engineers and Conductors will be cross-trained, certified, and

qualified in both crafts. The Engineer will be positioned in the train cab, maintain communications with Central

Control, enable doors, run the train in accordance with the rules and signal aspects, and be responsible for

moving trains in accordance with timetable requirements under the supervision of the Dispatcher and the

information provided by the train control system. Conductors will provide a presence in the passenger

compartment of the trains, make announcements, help boarding and alighting passengers needing assistance,

provide information and answer passengers’ questions, perform proof-of-payment inspections and generally

assist passengers and care for passenger areas of the train en route.

3.7 Freight Operations Four freight carriers, two shortline and two Class 1s, operate along or across the Cotton Beltline:

The Fort Worth and Western Railroad (FWWR), coming from the west, operates through Fort Worth and

over the Cotton Belt (shared with TEXRail) from Fort Worth to Carrollton, serving the Belt Line Business

center and surrounding areas. The FWWR operates about three trains per week.

The Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad (DGNO), a Genesee and Wyoming property, operates

over the Cotton Belt out of Mercer Yard. The yard is currently located near the future Downtown

Carrollton Cotton Belt station, and will be relocated east by about two miles. DGNO currently operates

six days per week, typically one train each morning and one each evening.

BNSF crosses the right of way immediately east of the Downtown Carrollton station. A two-track flyover

will remove any freight-passenger conflicts here, although there will still be diamond crossings of the

remaining Cotton Belt at-grade and BNSF tracks.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) operates over the east end of the Cotton Belt Corridor. A flyover east of the

UT-Dallas station and a connecting track near MP 592 allows KCS to serve clients in Plano and points

east. Today, KCS operates two through-moves daily (1 morning, 1 evening), six days per week, each

averaging 4000-5000 feet in length. They also operate two manifest trains overnight, but not every

night. When they have occasion to run additional trains, there can be as many as 5-6 per day. The spur


serving the Packaging Corporation of America is not currently active, so for simulation purposes

associated with this plan, KCS was assumed not to have any local trains.

These local freight operations, dispatched when running on the Cotton Belt by the regional rail operator

dispatch center, with the exception of BNSF, will be restricted from peak period operation in order to avoid

interference with Cotton Belt passenger services. The KCS through movements at the east end of the line are

assumed to operate at any time, including peak periods.

Freight operations will impose certain wear on the Cotton Belt infrastructure, requiring additional maintenance

of way (MOW) expenditures. This plan does not estimate those resulting costs. Prior to the start of passenger

service, their allocation between the freight railroads and the DART Cotton Belt passenger operation should be

established, subject to existing freight trackage rights agreements that remain in force. For reference purposes,

Appendix E shows some example freight car-mile fees charged by comparable public rail infrastructure

owners. These fees are meant to compensate public owners for the fully-allocated freight-related MOW

costs. Should Cotton Belt freight trackage rights agreements in force during passenger operation call for fees

lower than the typical $0.50 to $0.65 per car-mile shown in Appendix E, DART will need to increase the

passenger-related MOW budget to make up the freight-related MOW cost shortfall.


4 Initial Operations Analysis This analysis corresponds with the timetable shown in Appendix A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial

Operations.

Running times have been estimated using a computerized train performance simulator. The simulator program

uses inputs describing vehicle characteristics, passenger loads and route profiles reflecting linear distances,

curvature, grades, signal system performance, and speed limits. The output is a link-by-link estimate of running

times between passenger stations and summed for the entire route, together with acceleration and braking

rates and times, engineer variability, maximum and average speeds achieved and energy consumption statistics.

Distances between stations, grades and speed-restricting curve locations for the entire alignment have been

based on civil plan and profile drawings.

4.1 Estimated Running Time Based on computer simulations, the end-to-end running time between Shiloh Road and DFW Terminal B,

including ten intermediate station stops, is estimated at 60 minutes (and 59 minutes in the opposite direction.)1

These run times include station dwell times of 30 seconds at all stations except for Downtown Carrollton,

Addison Transit Center, Cityline/Bush, and 12th St, where dwell times are one minute. The simulation also has a

margin added to it to allow for Engineer variability and other factors.

4.2 Terminal Times At terminals, under normal, planned operation, no train will be scheduled to depart for its next trip less than 10

minutes after arriving. This minimum turn time allows for the discharge/boarding of passengers, Operator and

Conductor rest, and performance of a federally-mandated brake test. If the turn time is less than 15 minutes, a

“drop-back crew” is assumed to be in place.

During initial operations, layovers of 14 minutes at DFW Terminal B and 17 minutes at Shiloh Road are provided.

DART policy calls for a drop-back crew whenever turns are shorter than 15 minutes, so a drop-back crew will be

in place at DFW Terminal B during peak periods. This allows for the absorption of short delays and for engineers

to change cabs, perform brake tests, obtain dispatch authority, and leave on time. Layover times fall as they do

(skewed initially to Shiloh Road) to allow for a consistent 6-minute TEXRail transfer in both directions at DFW

North station.

4.3 Conceptual Operating Timetables Based on all of the foregoing, conceptual operating timetables have been prepared and are shown in Appendix

A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial Operations. These schedules form the plan for normal initial

operations revenue service. Once the Cotton Belt system is operating, it can be expected that the timetable will

be updated periodically as the agency adjusts service to respond to actual passenger demand, or changed

operating conditions.

The timetable in Appendix A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial Operations shows TEXRail trains serving

Grapevine, DFW North, and DFW Terminal B stations. These times are based on the TEXRail Commuter Rail

Operations and Maintenance Plan (September 2015). Including these times shows how the connection between

the two services at DFW North would work for passengers (Figure 3-1): Cotton Belt passengers from points east

1 This running time counts from when doors close at the originating terminal for the train to depart until the doors open at the terminal station after arrival.


would arrive on the Cotton Belt platform and walk to the TEXRail platform, where they would wait for a Fort

Worth-bound TEXRail train. That train would be scheduled to arrive 6 minutes after those passengers arrived.

This is an adequate amount of time so that passengers do not feel rushed, but are not frustrated by a long wait

for the arriving TEXRail train. The reverse would be true for Plano-bound TEXRail passengers. They would arrive

at DFW North 6 minutes before a Plano-bound Cotton Belt train, walk to the appropriate platform face, and

board the connecting train.

The exact amount of time between connecting trains is likely to be adjusted as design progresses. First, TEXRail

is assuming just four minutes of travel time between DFW Terminal B and DFW North, while Cotton Belt

simulations show this to be seven minutes. Also, as the DFW North station design evolves, the time necessary

for passengers to get from one platform face to another may change—including, optimally, being reduced to

less than a minute if the track layout allows for a cross-platform transfer.

4.4 Equipment Rotations & Peak Vehicle Calculations Round trip running times must incorporate all of the aforementioned factors—track geometry, vehicle

characteristics, dwell and terminal times, etc. The result is an estimate of cycle time, i.e., the time that it takes a

train to make a complete round trip circuit, return to its point of origin and be made ready to depart again. For

initial operations, Plano to DFW Terminal B, the cycle would be a round trip of 2.5 hours, as follows:

Westbound run 60 minutes Layover at DFW Terminal B 14 minutes Eastbound run 59 minutes Layover at Shiloh Rd 17 minutes

TOTAL CYCLE TIME 150 minutes = 2.5 hours

Given a 2.5 hour cycle time and a conceptual 30-minute headway, five trains (DMUs) are required for revenue

service.

To equalize mileage throughout the DMU fleet and to ensure that each trainset is available regularly for scheduled inspection and repair work, vehicles must be rotated through the operating timetable. With seven DMUs, the rotation shown in Table 4-1 will repeat every seven weekdays. Letter codes “A” through “G” correlate specific trainsets to revenue runs shown in Appendix A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial

Operations.

Day Starts From Operates As Midday At Ends At Full-length Runs Operates Next Day As

1 EMF A In Service EMF 10 B

2 EMF B In Service EMF 9 C

3 EMF C EMF EMF 7 D

4 EMF D EMF EMF 6 E

5 EMF E In service EMF 11 F

6 EMF F Available as Spare or for Scheduled Maintenance

G

7 EMF G A Table 4-1 Trainset rotation to equalize mileage across the DMU fleet

On weekends and holidays, only three DMUs are necessary to provide all-day hourly service. If the table above

shows the Friday consist lineup, trains 3, 4, and 5 should be used for the weekend service, with trains still

rotating into the “Operates Next Day as” column as noted the following Monday.


4.4.1 Gap or Ready Reserve Trains At this time, the Cotton Belt does not plan to keep any vehicles available for use as “gap trains” during regular

weekday service periods. In case of an equipment failure or other incident, the expectation is that the spare

trainset in maintenance may be readied quickly enough to serve passengers. If experience demonstrates the

need for a gap train on a regular basis, appropriate provisions for one will be made.

4.5 Spare Vehicle Calculations

4.5.1 Total Sum of Vehicles Required Out of Service The Cotton Belt operating plan calls for a new train to be rotated out of revenue service and into routine

maintenance each weekday. This will allow all vehicles to undergo the necessary inspections and repairs to keep

them running consistently. Depending upon decisions made about weekend and holiday service, it is expected

that most of the fleet will be available on weekends for maintenance.

4.5.2 Spare Ratio Cotton Belt’s spare ratio is calculated as the number of spares divided by the peak vehicle requirement. With a

peak vehicle requirement of five cars (five DMUs) and a total fleet of seven DMUs, Cotton Belt will have 2

spares, for a spare ratio of 40%. Although this is a higher than typical ratio, for small fleet such as Cotton Belt’s

it’s necessary. On a typical day, one of the 2 spares will be undergoing preventive maintenance, and so the

second spare will be available as a protect vehicle in case of an incident along the corridor.

4.6 Operating Statistics Revenue and non-revenue (“deadhead”) operating statistics include train and individual car trips, hours and

miles per unit of time: day and year. For this estimate, a 10% deadhead factor is assumed. This factor is

conservative, as the EMF is located immediately adjacent to the right of way, and trains will be placed into

revenue service almost immediately. Therefore, the 10% can be assumed to also include any special event

service—which is currently expected to be minimal.

Daily figures are based on the pro forma operating timetables shown in Appendix A: Example Schedule for

Cotton Belt Initial Operations and are shown below in Table 4-2. “Full Trips” only includes DMUs operating

between DFW Terminal B and Shiloh Road; it does not include DMUs which originate or terminate at the EMF,

such as those provided by pull-out and pull-in trains, and serve only part of the corridor. However, hours, miles,

and fuel consumption statistics include both full and partial revenue trips. Annual figures are calculated based

on 255 weekdays and 110 weekend/holiday days per year. Fuel consumption is based on an industry average of

0.6 gallons per car-mile. Since Cotton Belt will only be using 1-car DMU consists, statistics on a per-vehicle basis

are identical to the per-train statistics presented below.

Item Train Statistics

Full Trips -Weekday -Weekend/Holiday (SSH) -Annual (255 weekdays + 110 SSH)

43 12

120,070

Hours -Weekday -Weekend/Holiday (SSH) -Annual (255 weekdays + 110 SSH)

49.5 13.8

6,963

Miles -Weekday

1,384


Item Train Statistics

-Weekend/Holiday (SSH) -Annual (255 weekdays + 110 SSH)

385 395,372

Fuel Consumption -Weekday -Weekend/Holiday (SSH) -Annual (255 weekdays + 110 SSH)

880 245

276,699

Table 4-2 Operating Statistics for Initial Operations between Shiloh Rd. and DFW Terminal B


5 Alternative Service Scenario Analysis

5.1 20-minute Headways DART has expressed an interest in increasing peak period Cotton Belt service in the future to every 20 minutes.

While more frequent service does provide more options to passengers, running trains on 20 minute headways

may cause more challenges than the potential for increased ridership would create.

As currently designed, DFW Terminal B station cannot simultaneously accommodate both a TEXRail service

operating on a 30-minute headway and a Cotton Belt service operating on a 20 minute headway. Cotton Belt

essentially operates as a single-track line from DFW North to DFW Terminal B; with seven minutes of travel time

in each direction, this would allow for less than six minutes of turn time, accounting for the schedule margin and

route establishment time inherent in the signal system. This is less than the 10 minute minimum dwell time

DART has prescribed for the Cotton Belt, and that assumes all westbound trains reach DFW North on-time. In

reality, the turn time would be in the range of 3-4 minutes—too little even with a drop-back crew in place. (A

hypothetical timetable for this scenario is shown in Appendix B: Alternative Schedule for 20-minute Cotton Belt

Headways.) It would require seven trains in revenue service, in contrast to the five necessary for a 30-minute

headway.)

There is a pocket track between DFW North and DFW Terminal B which, if used, would allow Cotton Belt to

sustain a 20-minute headway. However, doing so increases travel time and reduces terminal dwell time below

10 minutes. The use of the pocket track also reduces the system’s ability to recover from delays at the terminal;

delays greater than about 3.5 minutes would cascade back to the next trip.

Furthermore, even if the track and station design around DFW were changed to fix these terminal issues, a 20-

minute headway may not be an optimal service pattern. First, a train every 20 minutes is still not quite frequent

enough for “show up and go” service, and so ridership and revenue may not increase by enough to lower the

marginal operating cost, especially as 20-minute peak headways would require an additional two DMUs to be

operated and maintained. Second, the TEXRail line is being built with a single main track and passing sidings

specifically located to allow for a 30-minute headway operation. Running Cotton Belt trains on a 20-minute

headway would result in asynchronous arrivals at DFW North, removing the useful scheduled connection

between the two services.

In fact, given the exclusive rights-of-way used by DART (LRT, commuter, and regional rail) throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, integrated operations which meet a universally-applied regional standard should be feasible. This standard approach is known in Europe as a “taktfahrplan” or “Clockface pulse scheduling”, and is the basis for the observation that in Europe “everything connects”. The idea is that by standardizing headways—preferably to 15 minutes or better on as many lines as possible—it should be possible to create a truly seamless system with closely-timed connections wherever two or more lines intersect. In this concept, the Cotton Belt headway should be an even multiple of the DART light rail headway. For example, if light rail runs every 15 minutes and a Cotton Belt train every 30 minutes, this would generate consistent connections. In contrast, if Cotton Belt train every 20 minutes, there would not consistently be closely-timed connections to light rail. This level of coordination is beyond the scope of this plan, but should be considered as an aspirational goal for Cotton Belt service and the larger DART network.

5.2 Through-Service to/from Fort Worth Another potential service concept for Cotton Belt is to operate some through service to Fort Worth, bypassing

DFW North and DFW Terminal B with every other train. Doing so during the peak would place additional trains


into service on the TEXRail side of the corridor, between Grapevine and Fort Worth. Currently, the TEXRail

system is designed as a largely single-track railroad with short double track sections capable of sustaining a 30-

minute bi-directional headway. TEXRail’s operating plans call for running trains on 30-minute bi-directional

headways, so given the TEXRail half of the railroad as currently designed, no additional service is possible

between Grapevine and Fort Worth during the peak.

Even If Cotton Belt service to Fort Worth were feasible on top of planned TEXRail service, it still may not be in

the best interest of DART to provide the service. As Figure 3-1 shows, the base service allows for two trains per

hour to and from the airport from all directions, and every passenger from Plano or Ft. Worth would have a

timed connection available—passengers would have half-hourly service between any two stations.

In contrast, sending half of all Cotton Belt trains to Ft. Worth means Cotton Belt passengers will only have hourly

service to the airport. And while passengers on those hourly airport-bound Cotton Belt trains would have a

timed connection to TEXRail, only one of the two airport-bound TEXRail trains would have a connection to

Cotton Belt at DFW North, as shown in Figure 5-1. This degraded service would also drive up costs for Cotton

Belt, as the added runtime to reach Fort Worth would require an additional two trainsets to be procured,

operated, and maintained.

FtWorth

Plano

TEXRailCotton Belt

Timed ConnectionsAt DFW North

DFW Terminal B

Figure 5-1 Routes served in one hour of peak service with through-running (requires TEXRail capacity improvements)

However, outside of peak periods, during weekday base periods and on weekends and holidays, when both

TEXRail and Cotton Belt are running hourly service to the airport, there is an opportunity to run through service,

as TEXRail will not be using all of its track capacity (Figure 5-2). This service could be operated by either TEXRail

or Cotton Belt (or a combination thereof), as neither system needs its full fleet to support hourly service to the

airport, though the operator would incur the extra cost of fuel and any additional maintenance brought about

by running more service. DART and TEXRail would have to assess the commercial viability of a service provided

on a long headway during off-peak hours only.


DFWTerminal B

Timed ConnectionsAt DFW North

FtWorth

Plano

Figure 5-2 Routes served in one hour of off-peak service with through-running.


6 Maintenance and Reliability

6.1 Maintenance Strategies All of the Cotton Belt system’s equipment and facilities and their subsidiary components will need to be

inspected, cleaned and/or serviced at regular intervals and repaired or replaced as wear limits are reached. It

will be useful to structure a maintenance program to provide several levels of maintenance and repair activity

throughout the life cycle of the system. Appropriate program levels are:

Daily: Fueling, Servicing and Inspection (S&I)

Programmed Life Cycle Maintenance (LCM)

Running Repair and Corrective Maintenance

Heavy Repair

Mid-Life Overhaul

Most of the activities will occur at predetermined intervals based on time (e.g., hours of service) and/or

utilization (e.g., miles of service). For each system element (vehicles, track, signals, stations, etc.), different S&I

and LCM activities will take place on different schedules, all of which must be assembled into an overall

maintenance program for each element.

6.2 Vehicle Maintenance On a daily basis, the fleet will fall into two categories: in service or out of service. In service vehicles are

designated for revenue service and are stored in the yard ready to be placed into operation. Out of service

vehicles are in the maintenance facility undergoing or awaiting various levels of maintenance, inspection, repair

or overhaul.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issues regulations that govern the timing of various levels of

inspection of the vehicles and several of their subsystems and components. A tabular summary of FRA’s

currently mandated inspection cycles are presented in Table 6-1. DMUs are considered by the FRA to be both

locomotives and passenger cars, and therefore both the activities listed in Table 6-1 for cars (“car”) and those

for propulsion units (“loco”) will be required to be completed for the DMU fleet. Vehicle systems not addressed

by FRA requirements will be maintained per suppliers’ specifications. The majority of other maintenance

requirements will be provided by the DMU manufacturer as part of their prepared maintenance manuals.

The maintenance facility’s capacity requirements for maintenance and inspection are determined by the size of

the in-service fleet, the characteristics of the fleet and the amount of time allocated for maintenance and

inspection by the train schedules.

The capacity requirements for LCM, Running Repair and Corrective Maintenance, Heavy Repair and Mid-life

Overhaul are determined by the number of vehicles out of service on a daily basis and the facility requirements

associated with the maintenance being performed on these vehicles.

Description Vehicle Referenced in Regulation

Cycle (Days)

Location 49 CFR Section

Daily Inspection 1 Field

External mechanical inspection Car 238.303

Internal mechanical inspection Car 238.305

Class I brake test Car 238.313


Description Vehicle Referenced in Regulation

Cycle (Days)

Location 49 CFR Section

Daily locomotive inspection Loco 229.21

3-Month Inspection 92 Shop

Mechanical gages Loco 229.25

Electrical devices Loco 229.25

Cable connections over 600 volts Loco 229.25

Event recorder Loco 229.25

6-Month Inspection 184 Shop

Interior mechanical inspection Car 238.307

Exterior mechanical inspection Car 238.307

Annual Inspection 368 Shop

Brake system cleaning and testing (except MU locomotives) Loco 229.27

Brake meters testing Loco 229.27

Biennial Inspection 736 Shop

Brake system cleaning and testing (MU locomotives) Loco 229.29

Brake system cleaning and testing (MU locos except air dryers equipped)

Loco 238.309

Brake system cleaning and testing (conventional locos not 26-L equipped)

Loco 238.309

Brake system cleaning and testing (cab cars except 26-L & 26-C equipped)

Loco 238.309

Triennial Inspection 1104 Shop

Brake system cleaning and testing (MU locos air dryers equipped)

Loco 238.309

Brake system cleaning and testing (conventional locos and cab cars 26-L brake equipped)

Car Loco 238.309

Brake system cleaning and testing (coaches except AB & 26-C brake equipped)

Car 238.309

Quadrennial Inspection 1476 Shop

Brake system cleaning and testing (coaches and cab cars 26-C brake equipped)

Car 238.309

6-Year Inspections 2208 Shop

Brake system cleaning and testing (coaches AB brake equipped)

Car 238.309

Table 6-1 FRA Mandated Inspection Cycles

6.2.1 Fueling, Servicing and Inspection Fueling will be a daily activity carried out at the EMF using fueling hoses on reels stored adjacent to the fuel

island track in the yard. For the purposes of this operating plan, the Cotton Belt DMUs are assumed to have an

average fuel consumption of 0.636 gallons per car mile2 of low-Sulphur diesel fuel.

All in-service vehicles will be cleaned nightly by a dedicated cleaning crew. All vehicles will also undergo Daily

Maintenance and Inspection, which is a combination of the following activities:

2 Based on fuel consumption by comparable DMU services as reported in the National Transit Database for reporting year 2016.


FRA-required Class 1 Brake Test

Safety Appliance Inspection/Test

Vehicle Servicing

Toilet Servicing

Incidental Repairs

These tasks require the following:

“Qualified Maintenance Person” (QMP) to perform Class 1 Brake Test and fill out air brake slip

o Note that QMP is defined by FRA in 49 CFR 238

Cab active (both ends – one at a time)

DMU engines must be running

Access to inspect brake shoes and pads

Access to sanitary hose to dump retention tanks for toilets

Access to fuel hose

Access to sanding station (either fixed plant or bag sand)

Access to potable and non-potable water

Sufficient time must be scheduled in advance of train pull-out to do this work and address unexpected work (e.g.

minor repairs). A vehicle maintenance team will typically perform S & I work on each DMU in the order that the

vehicles will be dispatched. This team will consist of a QMP and an electrical technician.

The QMP will perform the brake test for the train. The QMP will apply and release brakes, test emergency

brakes and controls from the DMU cabs. The electrical technician will inspect and repair electrical systems,

change bulbs, ensure that trainlines are functioning properly, etc.

6.2.2 Programmed Life Cycle Maintenance (LCM) The LCM concept seeks to maximize the availability and functionality of rolling stock through a regular-interval

program of planned maintenance events occurring over the useful life of each vehicle. Under this approach,

each repairable item on the vehicle is subject to a series of pre-defined inspection and maintenance activities

designed to ensure acceptable performance up to the point of a Mid-Life Overhaul. These activities are timed to

occur prior to (or to coincide with) the anticipated service life of each repairable component, and will meet the

requirements of the FRA, the vehicle manufacturer, and the manufacturer’s suppliers. The objective is to

perform the appropriate maintenance activity (e.g., overhaul, repair, replacement, renewal, etc.) on a cycle

which minimizes the chances of component failure and keeps the vehicle in an overall state of good repair.

The LCM program will focus on components that are critical to the operating functions of the vehicle. These

components will be the subject of inspection, service, calibration and unit exchange to circumvent failure and

maximize reliability. Carbody components that are part of the architectural make-up of the vehicle (e.g. interior

and exterior panels, flooring, partitions, windows, etc.) will be the subject of a Mid- Life Overhaul scheduled at

the 12- to 15-year point in the vehicle service life.

With both passenger accommodations and diesel propulsion equipment on each vehicle, special care must be

taken to keep the engine maintenance areas of the EMF clean, to avoid tracking oil into the cars.


6.2.3 Maintenance Management Information System DART should implement a robust Maintenance Management Information System, a key tool in capturing all

information in the history of a DMU. To achieve economies of scale, it may be in Cotton Belt’s best interest to

implement the same system as DART light rail, TEXRail, or TRE.

All aspects of maintenance and servicing, including such things as parts use history, names of technicians

working on equipment and date of all activities, and fuel consumption, should be kept on a car-by-car basis. The

system should incorporate a work order system to be used in assigning tasks to maintenance technicians. It will

also have a scheduling feature to be used by maintenance management in making sure time and mileage action

targets are met within tight calendar tolerances. It will also have data retrieval and analysis capability to enable

management to efficiently analyze the efficiency and performance of fleet and infrastructure. The system should

be activated before the first vehicle arrives on the property for testing.

6.2.4 Running Repair and Corrective Maintenance Commuter rail equipment will require running repair and corrective maintenance as a consequence of the daily

operating environment. Even the most diligent LCM Programs cannot account for the impacts that normal

vibration, debris strikes, vandalism and misuse have on passenger equipment. The Cotton Belt maintenance

operation will make allowances for running repair and corrective maintenance with a focus on minimizing turn-

around time and expeditiously returning equipment to the revenue service fleet.

The systems on the DMU include two diesel engines and generators for propulsion and hotel power. The

engines are water-cooled, which adds potential for leaks and maintenance of cooling system elements.

Running repair and corrective maintenance will require pit access, access to equipment cabinets mounted on

the sides of the cars, access to engine compartments, interior access and roof access.

6.2.5 Heavy Repair Heavy repair is work that involves a long-term effort to correct one or more problems and bring the equipment

back to the revenue service pool. Heavy repair includes some work that can be performed in-house and other

work that is typically outsourced. The work can involve removal of major components (such as an engine,

generator, etc.), collision repair (body damage, structural repair), wiring damage (burnt wires due to over-

current or fire), vandalism repair, or any other work that entails a long-term approach to get resolved.

The space to perform this work is typically off-line; so as not to disrupt the flow of daily servicing in the shop. At

times the work may require the use of cranes or jacks, depending on the task.

DMU heavy repair can involve a myriad of activities including major component exchange (such as an engine or

truck), major system repair (such as wiring damage repair), or collision damage structural repair. Under certain

circumstances, the damage may include undercar mounted equipment, which will be time consuming and costly

to repair.

Access is required for replacement of undercar components. The EMF shop will be equipped with portable jacks

to lift the car up off the rails. A 15-ton crane will also be located at the shop to move heavy items—for example,

to carry away trucks removed from DMUs.


6.2.6 Mid-Life Overhaul The Mid-Life Overhaul is a critical element of the LCM program that is designed to provide the vehicle with an

infusion of capital investment to bring it back to a “like new” condition. This overhaul involves reconditioning

systems through a process of selective upgrade, refurbishment and replacement designed to ensure the ability

of the vehicle to perform reliably with the same level of maintenance applied during the first half of service life.

It is recommended that the Mid-Life Overhaul be packaged as a capital investment and performed outside the

scope of regular maintenance operations. The work is best performed at a dedicated facility by personnel

specially trained in the work. In many instances, this work is outsourced.

Typically, the work includes an overhaul of all major systems as well as a structural inspection and

reconditioning (if necessary) and replacement or upgrade of cosmetic features. Additionally, this work may

include replacement of components that are obsolete and/or introduction of new technologies that provide

improved performance or advanced features to the vehicle that were not available when originally constructed.

6.3 Support Systems and Fixed Facilities Maintenance The underlying maintenance philosophy and definitions of various levels of maintenance attention for the

several support systems are defined in the sections that follow.

6.3.1 Train Control, Grade Crossing Protection and Communications Equipment This plan assumes that the train control system will be used to monitor the health of railroad grade crossing

warning equipment and will be used to protect the trains at grade crossings.

The communications systems are essential to the safe and effective operation of the line under normal and

emergency conditions. Central Control will be the hub for these systems and will have full transmit, receive,

monitor and record (video and audio) capabilities.

Each of these systems is “supervised”, i.e., provides a warning at the Central Control Center if the electrical

circuit is broken, which renders the system inoperative. However, failures still may occur in other components of

the system. Procedures will be established for inspection and testing of these components.

A majority of the train control maintenance tasks will involve completing the periodic inspections and tests

required to keep the signal system safe and operable. Tests and inspections and their frequencies must comply

with all federal, state and local regulations. A preliminary definition is provided in Table 6-2, subject to

refinement in later project phases.

Inspection Type Frequency Safety Inspection Monthly

Crossing Protection Monthly

Battery and Charger Monthly

Switch Obstruction Monthly

Joint/Switch Inspection Quarterly

Shunt Fouling Quarterly

Switch Circuit Control Quarterly

Route Locking Every 2 Years

Time Release and Timing Relays Annually

Bonding General Inspection Quarterly

Ground Test Quarterly


Inspection Type Frequency Lightning Arrestors Annually

Approach Locking Every 2 Years

Time Locking Every 2 Years

Traffic Locking Every 2 Years

Indication Locking Every 2 Years

Relays Every 4 Years

Insulation Resistance Every 10 Years

Electric Lock Quarterly

Moveable Bridge Locking Annually Table 6-2 Train Control Maintenance Tasks Planned Frequency

Approximately one third to one half of the repair work will involve the grade crossing gate mechanisms and gate

arms.

Primary communications maintenance tasks will be related to testing of systems and repairing of defective units.

Because of the reliance on the Central Control station and two-way radio for communications, it is essential that

adequate spare parts inventories be maintained. Arrangements will be made for prompt servicing of

transmitting facilities in the event of equipment failure.

6.3.1.1 Two-Way Radio

Each unit will be checked prior to use for signal strength; and portable radios will be returned to the battery

charger after each day’s use. Each unit will be checked weekly to ensure that it functions on all channels.

Maintenance will be primarily concerned with physical damage and wear associated with continuous use.

Normal procedure will be to replace a defective unit with a spare and return the defective unit to the shop,

manufacturer, or servicing agent for repair or replacement.

6.3.1.2 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

Defects in individual units will be self-evident to personnel monitoring the cameras. Primary defects will occur in

elements of camera control related to servomotors for pan, tilt, zoom, and automatic iris. Where cameras will

be exposed to temperature extremes, the cameras will have thermostatically-controlled strip heaters and

blowers which will require monthly inspection. It will also be necessary to clean lens shields on outdoor

cameras. Normal procedure will be to replace a defective unit with a spare and return the defective unit to the

shop, manufacturer, or servicing agent for repair or replacement.

6.3.1.3 Fire, Intrusion and Emergency Alarms

The life-safety alarm systems (fire, emergency, smoke detectors) are all supervised (i.e., have built-in self-test

functions). Any defects within the system will result in a trouble signal at Central Control. Intrusion alarms will

be tested weekly for function. Smoke detectors will be tested semi-annually with “canned smoke” to ensure

proper function. Normal procedure will be to replace a defective unit with a spare and return defective unit to

the shop, manufacturer, or servicing agent for repair.

6.3.1.4 Central Control

Recording devices will be tested monthly to ensure proper functioning and cleaned according to manufacturer

instructions. Because of the nature of the electronic equipment in this facility, a clean, dust- free temperature-

controlled maintenance shop environment is required. Normal procedure will be to replace a defective unit with

a spare and return the defective unit to the shop, manufacturer, or servicing agent for repair or replacement.


6.3.2 Fare Collection Equipment DART’s fare collection system is discussed above in Section 2.2.4. It is assumed that the fare vending machines

themselves will be maintained and serviced by the contracted entity DART determines. Signal technicians from

the Signals and Way department will maintain platform validators and hand-held card readers used by

Conductors.

6.3.3 Track, Roadbed and Structures The Cotton Belt railroad will be responsible for ensuring that all FRA-required inspections, maintenance and

repair of track, roadbed and structures, drainage, and signals, of the line between Plano and the DFW area wye

are properly performed. Responsibility for the segment between the wye and DFW Terminal B will be shared

with TEXRail.

The primary goal of maintenance is to keep the track safe to handle the intended traffic. This is of particular

importance on a railroad carrying passengers. Therefore, safety inspections are the backbone of the

maintenance program. All main track used for passenger service must be inspected at least twice a week by a

qualified track inspector, who must be trained in conformance with the FRA Track Safety Standards and be able

to identify unsafe track and right-of-way conditions and determine the appropriate remedial action(s) to be

taken. Inspection types and suggested frequencies are as follows.

Inspection Type Frequency

Track Inspection Twice per week

Yard Inspection Monthly

Main Track Turnout Monthly

Yard Turnout Monthly

Crossing Frog Monthly

Curve Gage Twice Per Year

Bridges, Trestles, Culverts, and Drainage Structures Annually

Emergency Track Patrol As needed [a]

[a] After storms, earthquakes, fire department activity, etc.

Table 6-3 Passenger Track inspection types and recommended frequencies

Mainline trackage will be maintained in compliance with at a minimum FRA Class 4 track safety standards to

ensure safety and ride quality. Yard tracks will be maintained in safe condition in compliance with FRA Class 2

standards.

An annual structure and cut inspection will be performed and all deficiencies listed in the inspection report. In

cuts, retaining walls, drainage structures and vegetation must be maintained to prevent slides. Fencing at the

tops of cuts must be maintained to prevent entry of vehicles or pedestrians.

Highway grade crossing paved surfaces must be maintained at a level that will not cause reduced highway

vehicle speed, inflict damage to highway vehicles, or damage rail vehicles. Crossing gates and flashers must be

kept in good operating order and repair.

Routine Maintenance includes minor and emergency repairs and periodic safety inspections, including:

Visual track inspections

Switch inspection, adjustment, repair and lubrication

Grinding and welding switch and crossing frogs


Insulated joint replacement

Minor adjustments or repairs to direct fixation rail fasteners

Spot tie replacement

Broken rail replacement

Adjusting and filling rail lubricators

Cleaning debris from drainage structures

Smoothing rough spot in track (surfacing and lining)

Gage correction

Track cleaning

Repairing right-of-way fencing

Minor repairs to bridges, tunnels and retaining walls

Bond wire replacement

Inspection activities will be performed by a qualified track inspector, while routine maintenance is performed by

a track crew equipped with hand tools, small power tools and one or two trucks, as needed. The track inspector

will be furnished with a hi-rail truck and hand tools.

Periodic maintenance includes all replacements and rehabilitation of major items at the end of their life cycles,

as well as work that can be planned in advance and included in the agency’s annual budgets. Work included in

this category includes:

Tie replacement program

Surfacing and aligning track

Replacing or rehabilitating drainage structures

Grade crossing replacement

Ballast cleaning

Replacement of direct fixation rail fasteners

Vegetation control and brush cutting

Operating rail defect detector car

Transposing rail on curves

Painting, rehabilitating and replacing bridges

Automated inspection of concrete ties to measure rail seat abrasion

This type of maintenance is scheduled based on an assessment of existing conditions and budget constraints. In

any given year, there may be more work proposed for consideration than can be funded. The various projects

must be prioritized so that those representing the best return in terms of safety and/or economics will be

funded. Typically, this work requires large machinery and large crews of individuals having specialized skills.

Such tasks are candidates for contracting to third parties.

In addition, the Cotton Belt track maintenance department will develop a “rail cleaning” procedure to ensure

that the track contact patch (to the DMU) is clean in order to maximize shunting capabilities.

6.3.4 Stations The DART Cotton Belt system will have 12 passenger stations located along the route, including the terminal

stations at DFW Terminal B and Shiloh Road. In general the stations extend along the track right-of-way for 402

feet. Some stations in double track territory will have two side platforms, while others will have a single center


platform. Local and regional bus routes will serve most stations, with close transfers to TEXRail and DART Light

Rail provided as shown previously in Table 2-1. Where necessary, any pedestrian crossings between platforms or

to an island platform across the track(s) will be located at the end of a platform.

Station design is still under development, but they will likely be primarily made of concrete. No facilities or

services will be provided, except for ticket vending equipment and trash receptacles. Stations will incorporate

facilities required to comply with the American with Disabilities Act. DART’s policy is to provide a “level

boarding” environment for passengers by building station platforms that will be at the same height above rail as

the floors of the DMU fleet, nominally 23 inches above top of rail. FRA mandates car-to-platform gap tolerances

in order to comply with ADA requirements. DART’s operations and maintenance contractor will prepare a Gap

Management Plan detailing the method and frequency of inspections, and method for maintaining horizontal

and vertical gaps within tolerances.

The appearance and cleanliness of the stations are essential to the public acceptance and success of the rail

system. It is important to keep the stations free of trash, litter and dust; keep lighting systems free of defects

and aging; remove graffiti promptly; and keep parking lots, walkways, steps and platforms free of hazardous

substances. Since the DFW Terminal B and DFW North stations are shared with TEXRail, the sharing custodial

and repair tasks must be negotiated.

Station maintenance tasks generally fall into either the custodial or repair category. These functions will also be

contracted, wither directly to the DART operations and maintenance contractor, or through subcontract.

6.3.4.1 Custodial

The first category is janitorial/custodial in nature. Personnel involved in this function are primarily concerned

with keeping the facility clean and safe. In performing these tasks, personnel will follow set routines and

procedures, involving the use of sweepers, scrubbers, lawn mowers and, possibly, specialized chemicals. To

maintain the desired appearance level in the stations, custodial personnel will be scheduled to clean each

station daily, which would normally be accomplished after the evening peak hours. In addition, the more heavily

used stations may need to be cleaned a second time during the day on weekdays, preferably after the morning

peak. One cleaning per day will be adequate at all stations on weekends and holidays, except when special

events are scheduled. DART may use its own forces, contract out these services, or include custodial efforts as

part of the scope for the Contract Rail Services Operator (CRSO).

6.3.4.2 Repairs

The second station maintenance work category is related to general building repairs and may involve carpentry,

glazing, electricity, plumbing, heating and refrigeration. These tasks typically require higher skill levels than the

janitorial/custodial group and may involve not only building repair functions, but also modifying structures as

may be needed to accommodate the actual operating requirements.

Special crews will have to be assembled for major surface repair work in stations and adjacent parking lots.

These crews will be comprised of a foreman and variable numbers of laborers, depending on the size of the job.

At least twice each year, the platform surface will be sealed.

6.3.5 Equipment and Maintenance Facility (EMF) The yard and shops will be the center of all maintenance and operations activity except for dispatching (which is

assumed to be based out of TEXRail’s facility). All vehicle maintenance, cleaning, servicing, operations and

scheduling will be handled from the Luna Road location in Carrollton. Additionally, it will serve as the center for


maintenance of way, stations, and communications. Fare collection may be housed at the EMF as well, or may

be jointly handled at a DART facility depending on inter-agency agreements. A program will be developed to

maintain the yard and shops in order to ensure their continued efficient and reliable functioning support of

Cotton Belt operations and maintenance.

The following general maintenance tasks will be performed by the operating agency’s building and grounds staff.

6.3.5.1 Yard Trackwork Maintenance

Yard trackwork maintenance will be part of the systemwide trackwork maintenance performed by the

maintenance-of-way crews. Yard trackwork maintenance is as important as mainline trackwork because it can

affect mainline operations (yard throat and entrance/exit from storage tracks). Conversely, it is usually a low

maintenance area because of the low operating speeds, requiring track to be maintained only to Class 2

standards.

6.3.5.2 Yard Structures and Landscape Maintenance

This activity includes cleaning of drainage structures, yard cleanup, sidewalk sweeping, landscape maintenance,

etc. These activities will be part of the station maintenance work.

6.3.5.3 Train Control Maintenance

This activity includes maintenance of the signal and motorized switch at the yard entry area (throat). These

activities will be part of the train control work.

6.3.5.4 Communications Maintenance

This activity includes maintenance of yard and shop PA systems, the Central Control radio system and the shop

building telephone system.

6.3.5.5 Electrical Maintenance

This activity includes the electrical maintenance of all yard and shop AC electrical service and the electrical

portion of all yard and shop equipment. Tasks included are:

Yard lighting and wiring maintenance and repair

Shop building power distribution maintenance and repair

Shop building lighting maintenance and repair (i.e., HVAC, compressors, pumps, hot water heaters, etc.)

Support equipment electrical maintenance and repair

Fire alarm maintenance and repair

This work will be performed by the building maintenance staff, assisted as specialized work may require by

power, signal and/or communications maintenance staff. Outside contractors also may be used from time to

time.

6.3.5.6 Mechanical Maintenance

This activity includes the mechanical maintenance of all EMF heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, fire

sprinklers and the mechanical portion of all shop equipment. Some of the tasks include:

Changing filters for all HVAC equipment

Changing and adjusting bolts for all HVAC equipment

Greasing bearings for all HVAC equipment

Servicing for all refrigeration systems (air conditioning)

Mechanical repairs of HVAC equipment


Servicing and repairs of all plumbing equipment (i.e., sinks, toilets, hot water heaters, drains, pumps,

compressors, fire sprinklers, etc.)

Servicing and repairs to shop building infrastructure (i.e., doors, windows, walls, floors, ceilings, roof,

etc.)

Maintenance and repairs to the mechanical portion of all LRT support equipment (i.e., wheel truing

machine, wheel/axle press, et al).

This work will be performed by outside contractors when required or as appropriate; otherwise by Cotton Belt

mechanical staff.


7 O&M Staffing and Costs The operating plan developed in Section 4 and the maintenance requirements described in Section 6 form a

basis for estimates of labor requirements, materials, and other direct/indirect items. These estimates are not

meant to be prescriptive. DART will employ the services of a Contract Rail Services Operator (CRSO), as TRE and

TEXRail have, and that operator may choose to organize the functions differently or employ a different number

of workers. Furthermore, it is expected that the CRSO will allow for the sharing of staff between Cotton Belt,

TEXRail, and TRE, so that staffing costs can be minimized and worker productivity maximized.

7.1 Organization and Labor Requirements DART’s Cotton Belt service will be operated as part of a consolidated regional rail service, under a unified management which oversees management which oversees TRE and TEXRail, as well as DART Cotton Belt service. To accomplish this, the Cotton Belt organization will

Cotton Belt organization will include some uniquely dedicated staff, as well as staff with shared responsibilities between Cotton Belt, between Cotton Belt, TEXRail, and TRE. (

Figure 7-1) Each of the three services will have a dedicated Assistant GM, reporting to a single General Manager.


Figure 7-1 Operations Department Organization Chart

The organization will be composed of eight departments, each with a Manager shared among all three services:

The PTC Manager, Signals & Communications Manager, Right-of-Way Manager, and Mechanical

Manager will each be supported by a dedicated supervisor for each service. Like the Supervisors, staff in

each of these departments will be dedicated to a specific service.

TRE will have its own Safety Supervisor, while Cotton Belt and TEXRail will be overseen by a single

individual. Both supervisors will report to the Safety Manager.

The Manager of Train Operations will oversee all dispatching on all three lines. TRE will have a dedicated

dispatch desk, and the Cotton Belt and TEXRail lines will share a desk. Each desk will be staffed by five

dispatchers and five clerks. Dispatching for all three services will be headquartered at the new TEXRail

yard (currently under construction), with a backup facility at the Cotton Belt EMF.

Environmental compliance for all three services will be overseen by two individuals.

The Transportation Manager will be supported by a TRE-only Supervisor and a Supervisor responsible for

both Cotton Belt and TEXRail. The Transportation Manager/Supervisor will be responsible for oversight

of the Operators, and therefore it is likely that either the Manager or the Cotton Belt/TEXRail Supervisor

will have to be located at the Cotton Belt EMF. This individual will serve as the Designated Supervisor of

Locomotive Engineers (DSLE) required by FRA rules.

All passenger station cleaning will be handled by DART staff with no impact on the Cotton Belt operating budget.

Cotton Belt will also have access to an on-call Railroad Bridge Engineer for annual inspections and any other

needs, at a cost of $25,000. An initial estimate of the total Operations and Maintenance workforce needed to

provide revenue service and maintain the Plano-DFW system is estimated to be 88 1/3 FTEs (not including the

on-call Railroad Bridge Engineer), as delineated in Table 7-1.

DEPARTMENT NUMBER OF FTEs

DEPARTMENT NUMBER OF FTEs and Position Classification and Position Classification

ADMINISTRATION SAFETY General Manager 1/3 Manager 1/3


Cotton Belt Assistant General Manager 1 Supervisor 0.5

PTC TRAIN OPERATIONS Manager 1/3 Manager 1/3 Supervisor 1 Dispatchers 2.5 Back-office Technician 1 Clerks 2.5

SIGNALS & COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE Manager 1/3 Manager 1/3 Supervisor 1 Assistant 1/3

Signal Technicians 10 MECHANICAL

RIGHT-OF-WAY Manager 1/3 Manager 1/3 Supervisor 1 Supervisor 1 Vehicle Maintenance Leads 3 Inspectors (Track & Structure) 3 Vehicle Maintenance Technicians 6 Welders 3 Vehicle Cleaners 10 Vegetation 4 Parts Clerk 1

Equipment Operators 3 TRANSPORTATION Maintenance Gang Manager 1/3 --1 Supervisor 1 Supervisor 0.5 --5 Workers 5 Engineers 12 Conductors 12

Total: 88 1/3 Table 7-1 Estimated O&M staffing plan for Cotton Belt in various operating scenarios

Police are not included in the above staffing plan. DART police are expected to serve the Cotton Belt as they do

DART’s light rail and TRE systems, including issuing fines and handling unruly passengers. The new geography

and added service they will be required to cover means that Cotton Belt will be responsible for some increment

of their annual operating costs. For the purposes of this estimate, that increment is assumed to be $300,000.

7.2 Fuel, Utilities, and Other Operations Costs Non-labor costs come from three main sources: fuel (and utilities), insurance and damages, and contingency. In

addition to diesel fuel for the trains themselves, all stations will draw power (for lighting, ticket vending

machines, etc.) and the EMF will as well. Stations are assumed to be “open” with lights on and TVMs functioning

every day from 30 minutes before the first train until 30 minutes after the last train departs. Similarly, the EMF is

assumed to be in operation starting an hour before the first pull-out and continuing until an hour after the last

train pulls in for the night.

Insurance costs are to be determined separately from this plan as DART generally pools and combines numerous

insurance instruments. Additionally, there is always the risk of damages above and beyond what insurance

might cover. These are estimated to be $0.015 per rider, again based on the experience of similar systems.

Finally, a 20% contingency has been added to the O&M estimate.

7.3 Annual Operations & Maintenance Expenditure Estimate Based on the above description of Cotton Belt operations, and assumptions described in the text, Appendix D:

O&M Cost Build-up for Cotton Belt Initial Operations shows a cost-buildup estimate for annual operating and

maintenance costs. Labor costs account for nearly half (46%) of annual costs. This is based on an assumed

“base” salary of $45,000, with each FTE earning a salary above or below that based on an assumed multiplier

specific to that job description. Fringe benefits add an additional 86% on top of the salary. In total, on this basis

and using these assumptions, Cotton Belt operations are estimated to cost about $17.8 million dollars per year;


As seen in Appendix D, these costs are divided into five categories: Transportation, Propulsion Fuel & Utilities,

Maintenance of Way, Vehicle Maintenance, and General Administration. When existing agencies report their

annual O&M costs to the Federal Transit Administration for inclusion in the National Transit Database, costs are

typically divided into four categories: Vehicle Operations; Vehicle Maintenance; Non-vehicle Maintenance, and

General Administration. The FTA’s “Vehicle Operations” category is equivalent to the sum of the Cotton Belt

Transportation and Propulsion Fuel & Utilities categories used here. Non-vehicle Maintenance and Maintenance

of Way are identical. Thus, Table 7-2 below summarizes the costs by NTD category for Cotton Belt.

Horizon Year 2022 (Initial Operations)* Cost Category Metric

Transportation $3,619 $878 per revenue train hour Fuel & Utilities $2,497

Vehicle Maintenance $2,219 $317,032

per vehicle

Maintenance of Way $3,440 $67,720

per directional route mile

General Administration $3,084 26%

Of other O&M costs

Contingency $2,961 N/A

TOTAL $17,832

*Costs are in thousands of 2017 dollars. Table 7-2 Summary of annual cotton belt O&M costs by category under various operating scenarios

7.4 Comparable Operations The Cotton Belt will not be the first DMU regional rail service to operate in Texas, as CapMetro in Austin and the

A-train in Denton County have been operating for several years now. These agencies, as well as local commuter

rail service TRE, report O&M costs to the FTA annually, which makes them available via the National Transit

Database (NTD). These costs can be averaged among the agencies and scaled to the planned Cotton Belt

operation, which provides a comparison cross-check on the cost build-up approach used above for the Cotton

Belt O&M cost estimate (Section 7.3).

The latest NTD figures provided are from reporting year 2016, and are presented below in Table 7-3 inflated to

2017 dollars. Although the FTA mandates how costs be split out among the four reporting categories,

organizational and contractual differences between the agencies mean that direct comparisons in each category

cannot be assured. However, the total annual O&M costs provide some insight into the likely size of Cotton

Belt’s annual budget.

System CapMetro A-train TRE Average

(weighted by system size)

Cotton Belt

(Austin) (Denton County) (Dallas-Ft. Worth) (Dallas)

Rolling Stock DMU DMU Locomotive/coach DMU

Vehicle Operations $331 $807 $638 $592

6,963 $4,123,031

Cost per revenue train hour Hrs

Vehicle Maintenance $403,218 $33,102 $104,404 $180,242

7 $1,261,691

Cost per vehicle Vehicles

Non-Vehicle Maintenance $127,971 $13,360 $114,328 $85,220

50.8 $4,329,170

Cost per directional route mile DRM

General Administration 61% 11% 19% 30% 30% $2,931,399

Percentage of other O&M costs

Total Annual O&M Costs $15,696,826 $14,247,179 $25,468,519 $12,645,291


System CapMetro A-train TRE Average

(weighted by system size)

Cotton Belt

(Austin) (Denton County) (Dallas-Ft. Worth) (Dallas)

Rolling Stock DMU DMU Locomotive/coach DMU

Notes: All costs are derived from the FTA 2016 National Transit Database, and are shown in thousands of 2017 dollars (inflated at a 3% annual rate)

Table 7-3 O&M costs for comparable Texas rail transit agencies

Recalling that the cost-buildup method yielded an estimate of $17.8M, this generalized method of “top-down”

estimation results in an annual O&M cost about $5.2 million less. However, the majority of the difference

between the methods may be the accounted for by recognizing the inclusion of a contingency in the cost-

buildup estimate. At this point, an O&M contingency of 20% is being included to conservatively guard against

unexpected costs, and should be included in this way in any budget projections until the service is operating and

can be adjusted. For purposes of general comparison of cost ranges, if the 20% contingency is removed, the

cost-buildup estimate is $14.8 million, comfortably in the range of CapMetro and A-train costs.


8 Appendix A: Example Schedule for Cotton Belt Initial Operations TEXRail trains shown in Red, based on Appendix A-1 of the TEXRail Commuter Rail Operations & Maintenance Plan (September 2015 New Starts Update)

Westbound Cotton Belt (Eastbound TEXRail)

801 803 101 202 103 204 105 206 107 208 109 210 111 212 113 907 214 115 216 117 218 119 220 222 825 224 226 228 121 230 123 232 125 234 127 236 129 238 131 933 240 937 242 133 939 941

Shiloh Rd 6:06 6:36 7:06 7:36 8:06 8:36 9:06 9:36 10:36 11:36 12:36 13:36 14:36 15:06 15:36 16:06 16:36 17:06 17:36 18:06 18:36 19:06 19:36 20:06 20:36 21:36

12th St 6:10 6:40 7:10 7:40 8:10 8:40 9:10 9:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:40 15:10 15:40 16:10 16:40 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 19:40 20:10 20:40 21:40

Cityline/Bush 6:14 6:44 7:14 7:44 8:14 8:44 9:14 9:44 10:44 11:44 12:44 13:44 14:44 15:14 15:44 16:14 16:44 17:14 17:44 18:14 18:44 19:14 19:44 20:14 20:44 21:44

UT-Dallas 6:20 6:50 7:20 7:50 8:20 8:50 9:20 9:50 10:50 11:50 12:50 13:50 14:50 15:20 15:50 16:20 16:50 17:20 17:50 18:20 18:50 19:20 19:50 20:20 20:50 21:50

Coit 6:23 6:53 7:23 7:53 8:23 8:53 9:23 9:53 10:53 11:53 12:53 13:53 14:53 15:23 15:53 16:23 16:53 17:23 17:53 18:23 18:53 19:23 19:53 20:23 20:53 21:53

Preston Rd 6:27 6:57 7:27 7:57 8:27 8:57 9:27 9:57 10:57 11:57 12:57 13:57 14:57 15:27 15:57 16:27 16:57 17:27 17:57 18:27 18:57 19:27 19:57 20:27 20:57 21:57

Knoll Trail 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00

Addison Transit Center 6:32 7:02 7:32 8:02 8:32 9:02 9:32 10:02 11:02 12:02 13:02 14:02 15:02 15:32 16:02 16:32 17:02 17:32 18:02 18:32 19:02 19:32 20:02 20:32 21:02 22:02

Downtown Carrollton 6:41 7:11 7:41 8:11 8:41 9:11 9:41 10:11 11:11 12:11 13:11 14:11 15:11 15:41 16:11 16:41 17:11 17:41 18:11 18:41 19:11 19:41 20:11 20:41 21:11 22:11

To EMF 9:42 19:12 20:12 21:12 22:12

From EMF 5:41 6:11 14:41

Cypress Waters 5:46 6:16 6:48 7:18 7:48 8:18 8:48 9:18 10:18 11:18 12:18 13:18 14:18 14:46 15:18 15:48 16:18 16:48 17:18 17:48 18:18 18:48 19:48 20:48

Grapevine 6:43 7:17 7:47 8:17 8:47 9:15 10:13 11:14 12:14 13:14 16:47 17:17 17:47 18:17 18:47 19:15 21:14

DFW North 5:57 6:27 6:47 6:59 7:21 7:29 7:51 7:59 8:21 8:29 8:51 8:59 9:19 9:29 10:16 10:29 11:17 11:29 12:17 12:29 13:17 13:29 14:29 14:57 15:29 15:59 16:29 16:51 16:59 17:21 17:29 17:51 17:59 18:21 18:29 18:51 18:59 19:19 19:59 20:59 21:17

DFW Terminal B 6:04 6:34 6:51 7:06 7:25 7:36 7:55 8:06 8:25 8:36 8:55 9:06 9:23 9:36 10:20 10:36 11:21 11:36 12:21 12:36 13:21 13:36 14:36 15:04 15:36 16:06 16:36 16:55 17:06 17:25 17:36 17:55 18:06 18:25 18:36 18:55 19:06 19:23 20:06 21:06 21:21

Train Consist B D A C E B D A C E B A E B C A E D B C A E D B C A E D C

A C E B D A C E B D A E B A E D B C A E D B C A E D C E

Eastbound Cotton Belt (Westbound TEXRail)

802 804 806 102 201 104 203 106 205 108 207 110 209 112 211 910 213 114 215 116 217 219 118 221 120 828 223 225 227 122 229 124 231 126 233 128 235 130 237 132 237 239 241 134 942

DFW Terminal B 6:05 6:20 6:35 6:50 7:01 7:20 7:31 7:50 8:01 8:20 8:31 8:50 9:22 9:50 10:01 10:50 11:31 11:50 12:50 13:01 13:50 14:31 14:50 15:20 15:50 16:01 16:20 16:31 16:50 17:01 17:20 17:31 17:50 18:01 18:20 18:31 18:50 19:20 20:20 20:31 21:20

DFW North 6:10 6:27 6:39 6:57 7:05 7:27 7:35 7:57 8:05 8:27 8:35 8:57 9:29 9:57 10:05 10:57 10:35 11:57 12:57 11:35 13:57 12:35 14:57 15:27 15:57 16:05 16:27 16:35 16:57 17:05 17:27 17:35 17:57 18:05 18:27 18:35 18:57 19:27 20:27 20:35 21:27

Grapevine 6:13 6:42 7:09 7:39 8:09 8:39 10:09 10:39 11:39 12:39 16:09 16:39 17:09 17:39 18:09 18:39 20:39

Cypress Waters 6:37 7:07 7:37 8:07 8:37 9:07 9:39 10:07 11:07 12:07 13:07 14:07 15:07 15:37 16:07 16:37 17:07 17:37 18:07 18:37 19:07 19:37 20:37 21:37

To EMF 9:44 21:42

From EMF 5:13 5:43 6:13 14:43



Knoll Trail 5:25 5:55 6:25 6:55 7:25 7:55 8:25 8:55 9:25 10:25 11:25 12:25 13:25 14:25 14:55 15:25 15:55 16:25 16:55 17:25 17:55 18:25 18:55 19:25 19:55 20:55

Preston Rd 5:27 5:57 6:27 6:57 7:27 7:57 8:27 8:57 9:27 10:27 11:27 12:27 13:27 14:27 14:57 15:27 15:57 16:27 16:57 17:27 17:57 18:27 18:57 19:27 19:57 20:57

Coit 5:31 6:01 6:31 7:01 7:31 8:01 8:31 9:01 9:31 10:31 11:31 12:31 13:31 14:31 15:01 15:31 16:01 16:31 17:01 17:31 18:01 18:31 19:01 19:31 20:01 21:01

UT-Dallas 5:34 6:04 6:34 7:04 7:34 8:04 8:34 9:04 9:34 10:34 11:34 12:34 13:34 14:34 15:04 15:34 16:04 16:34 17:04 17:34 18:04 18:34 19:04 19:34 20:04 21:04

Cityline/Bush 5:40 6:10 6:40 7:10 7:40 8:10 8:40 9:10 9:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:40 15:10 15:40 16:10 16:40 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 19:40 20:10 21:10

12th St 5:44 6:14 6:44 7:14 7:44 8:14 8:44 9:14 9:44 10:44 11:44 12:44 13:44 14:44 15:14 15:44 16:14 16:44 17:14 17:44 18:14 18:44 19:14 19:44 20:14 21:14

Shiloh Rd 5:49 6:19 6:49 7:19 7:49 8:19 8:49 9:19 9:49 10:49 11:49 12:49 13:49 14:49 15:19 15:49 16:19 16:49 17:19 17:49 18:19 18:49 19:19 19:49 20:19 21:19

Consist Turns Count

A 802 202 205 212 213 218 219 224 227 234 237 942 10

B 801 201 208 211 216 217 222 223 230 233 933 9

C 804 204 207 907 825 225 232 235 240 241 941 7

D 803 203 210 910 828 228 231 238 239 939 6

E 806 206 209 214 215 220 221 226 229 236 237 242 942 11

Total Full Length Runs 43


9 Appendix B: Alternative Schedule for 20-minute Cotton Belt Headways TEXRail trains shown in Red, based on Appendix A-1 of the TEXRail Commuter Rail Operations & Maintenance Plan (September 2015 New Starts Update).

This schedule relies on zero-margin operations between DFW North and DFW Terminal B, as well as unrealistically short turn times at DFW Terminal B given current track configuration. Continued on the next page.


801 803 202 101 204 206 103 208 105 210 212 107 214 109 216 111 218 909 911 113 220 915 115 222 117 224 119 226 228 831 230 232

Shiloh Rd 5:40 6:00 6:20 6:40 7:00 7:20 7:40 8:00 8:20 8:40 9:00 9:20 9:40 10:20 11:20 12:20 13:20 14:20 14:40

12th St 5:44 6:04 6:24 6:44 7:04 7:24 7:44 8:04 8:24 8:44 9:04 9:24 9:44 10:24 11:24 12:24 13:24 14:24 14:44

Cityline/Bush 5:48 6:08 6:28 6:48 7:08 7:28 7:48 8:08 8:28 8:48 9:08 9:28 9:48 10:28 11:28 12:28 13:28 14:28 14:48

UT-Dallas 5:54 6:14 6:34 6:54 7:14 7:34 7:54 8:14 8:34 8:54 9:14 9:34 9:54 10:34 11:34 12:34 13:34 14:34 14:54

Coit 5:57 6:17 6:37 6:57 7:17 7:37 7:57 8:17 8:37 8:57 9:17 9:37 9:57 10:37 11:37 12:37 13:37 14:37 14:57

Preston Rd 6:01 6:21 6:41 7:01 7:21 7:41 8:01 8:21 8:41 9:01 9:21 9:41 10:01 10:41 11:41 12:41 13:41 14:41 15:01

Knoll Trail 6:04 6:24 6:44 7:04 7:24 7:44 8:04 8:24 8:44 9:04 9:24 9:44 10:04 10:44 11:44 12:44 13:44 14:44 15:04

Addison Transit Center 6:06 6:26 6:46 7:06 7:26 7:46 8:06 8:26 8:46 9:06 9:26 9:46 10:06 10:46 11:46 12:46 13:46 14:46 15:06

Downtown Carrollton 6:15 6:35 6:55 7:15 7:35 7:55 8:15 8:35 8:55 9:15 9:35 9:55 10:15 10:55 11:55 12:55 13:55 14:55 15:15

To EMF 9:22 9:42 10:22

From EMF 5:37 5:57 14:37

Cypress Waters 5:42 6:02 6:22 6:42 7:02 7:22 7:42 8:02 8:22 8:42 9:02 10:02 11:02 12:02 13:02 14:02 14:42 15:02 15:22

Grapevine 6:43 7:17 7:47 8:17 8:47 9:15 10:13 11:14 12:14 13:14

DFW North 5:53 6:13 6:33 6:47 6:53 7:13 7:21 7:33 7:51 7:53 8:13 8:21 8:33 8:51 8:53 9:19 9:13 10:16 10:13 11:17 11:13 12:17 12:13 13:17 13:13 14:13 14:53 15:13 15:33

DFW Terminal B 6:00 6:20 6:40 6:51 7:00 7:20 7:25 7:40 7:55 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:23 9:20 10:20 10:20 11:21 11:20 12:21 12:20 13:21 13:20 14:20 15:00 15:20 15:40

Train Consist A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B D G B E D C C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D G B D C G A F


802 804 806 808 810 102 201 203 104 205 106 207 209 108 211 110 213 215 112 217 916 219 114 221 116 223 225 118 832 227 836 838

DFW Terminal B 6:05 6:06 6:26 6:35 6:46 7:01 7:06 7:26 7:31 7:46 8:01 8:06 8:26 8:31 8:46 9:06 9:46 10:01 10:46 11:31 11:46 12:46 13:01 13:46

DFW North 6:10 6:13 6:33 6:39 6:53 7:05 7:13 7:33 7:35 7:53 8:05 8:13 8:33 8:35 8:53 9:13 9:53 10:05 10:53 10:35 11:53 12:53 11:35 13:53

Grapevine 6:13 6:42 7:09 7:39 8:09 8:39 10:09 10:39 11:39

Cypress Waters 6:23 6:43 7:03 7:23 7:43 8:03 8:23 8:43 9:03 9:23 10:03 11:03 12:03 13:03 14:03

To EMF 9:28

From EMF 4:50 5:10 5:30 5:50 6:10 13:50 14:30 14:50

Downtown Carrollton 4:51 5:11 5:31 5:51 6:11 6:31 6:51 7:11 7:31 7:51 8:11 8:31 8:51 9:11 10:11 11:11 12:11 13:11 13:51 14:11 14:31 14:51

Addison Transit Center 4:59 5:19 5:39 5:59 6:19 6:39 6:59 7:19 7:39 7:59 8:19 8:39 8:59 9:19 10:19 11:19 12:19 13:19 13:59 14:19 14:39 14:59

Knoll Trail 5:02 5:22 5:42 6:02 6:22 6:42 7:02 7:22 7:42 8:02 8:22 8:42 9:02 9:22 10:22 11:22 12:22 13:22 14:02 14:22 14:42 15:02

Preston Rd 5:04 5:24 5:44 6:04 6:24 6:44 7:04 7:24 7:44 8:04 8:24 8:44 9:04 9:24 10:24 11:24 12:24 13:24 14:04 14:24 14:44 15:04

Coit 5:08 5:28 5:48 6:08 6:28 6:48 7:08 7:28 7:48 8:08 8:28 8:48 9:08 9:28 10:28 11:28 12:28 13:28 14:08 14:28 14:48 15:08

UT_Dallas 5:11 5:31 5:51 6:11 6:31 6:51 7:11 7:31 7:51 8:11 8:31 8:51 9:11 9:31 10:31 11:31 12:31 13:31 14:11 14:31 14:51 15:11

Cityline/Bush 5:17 5:37 5:57 6:17 6:37 6:57 7:17 7:37 7:57 8:17 8:37 8:57 9:17 9:37 10:37 11:37 12:37 13:37 14:17 14:37 14:57 15:17

12th St 5:21 5:41 6:01 6:21 6:41 7:01 7:21 7:41 8:01 8:21 8:41 9:01 9:21 9:41 10:41 11:41 12:41 13:41 14:21 14:41 15:01 15:21

Shiloh Rd 5:26 5:46 6:06 6:26 6:46 7:06 7:26 7:46 8:06 8:26 8:46 9:06 9:26 9:46 10:46 11:46 12:46 13:46 14:26 14:46 15:06 15:26



234 236 238 121 240 242 123 244 125 246 248 127 250 129 252 131 254 945 947 256 951 133 258 955 957

Shiloh Rd 15:00 15:20 15:40 16:00 16:20 16:40 17:00 17:20 17:40 18:00 18:20 18:40 19:00 19:20 19:40 20:20 21:20 22:20

12th St 15:04 15:24 15:44 16:04 16:24 16:44 17:04 17:24 17:44 18:04 18:24 18:44 19:04 19:24 19:44 20:24 21:24 22:24

Cityline/Bush 15:08 15:28 15:48 16:08 16:28 16:48 17:08 17:28 17:48 18:08 18:28 18:48 19:08 19:28 19:48 20:28 21:28 22:28

UT-Dallas 15:14 15:34 15:54 16:14 16:34 16:54 17:14 17:34 17:54 18:14 18:34 18:54 19:14 19:34 19:54 20:34 21:34 22:34

Coit 15:17 15:37 15:57 16:17 16:37 16:57 17:17 17:37 17:57 18:17 18:37 18:57 19:17 19:37 19:57 20:37 21:37 22:37

Preston Rd 15:21 15:41 16:01 16:21 16:41 17:01 17:21 17:41 18:01 18:21 18:41 19:01 19:21 19:41 20:01 20:41 21:41 22:41

Knoll Trail 15:24 15:44 16:04 16:24 16:44 17:04 17:24 17:44 18:04 18:24 18:44 19:04 19:24 19:44 20:04 20:44 21:44 22:44

Addison Transit Center 15:26 15:46 16:06 16:26 16:46 17:06 17:26 17:46 18:06 18:26 18:46 19:06 19:26 19:46 20:06 20:46 21:46 22:46

Downtown Carrollton 15:35 15:55 16:15 16:35 16:55 17:15 17:35 17:55 18:15 18:35 18:55 19:15 19:35 19:55 20:15 20:55 21:55 22:55

To EMF 19:22 19:42 20:22 22:02 23:02

From EMF

Cypress Waters 15:42 16:02 16:22 16:42 17:02 17:22 17:42 18:02 18:22 18:42 19:02 20:02 21:02

Grapevine 16:47 17:17 17:47 18:17 18:47 19:15 21:14

DFW North 15:53 16:13 16:33 16:51 16:53 17:13 17:21 17:33 17:51 17:53 18:13 18:21 18:33 18:51 18:53 19:19 19:13 20:13 21:17 21:13

DFW Terminal B 16:00 16:20 16:40 16:55 17:00 17:20 17:25 17:40 17:55 18:00 18:20 18:25 18:40 18:55 19:00 19:23 19:20 20:20 21:21 21:20

Train Consist G A F B E D C G A F B E D C G A B C

B E D C G A F B E D C G A F B C A Eastbound Cotton Belt (Westbound TEXRail)

120 229 231 233 235 122 237 239 124 241 126 243 245 128 247 130 249 251 132 253 952 255 134 257 958

DFW Terminal B 14:31 14:46 15:06 15:26 15:46 16:01 16:06 16:26 16:31 16:46 17:01 17:06 17:26 17:31 17:46 18:01 18:06 18:26 18:31 18:46 19:06 19:46 20:31 20:46 21:46

DFW North 12:35 14:53 15:13 15:33 15:53 16:05 16:13 16:33 16:35 16:53 17:05 17:13 17:33 17:35 17:53 18:05 18:13 18:33 18:35 18:53 19:13 19:53 20:35 20:53 21:53

Grapevine 12:39 16:09 16:39 17:09 17:39 18:09 18:39 20:39

Cypress Waters 15:03 15:23 15:43 16:03 16:23 16:43 17:03 17:23 17:43 18:03 18:23 18:43 19:03 19:23 20:03 21:03 22:03

To EMF 19:23 22:03

From EMF

Downtown Carrollton 15:11 15:31 15:51 16:11 16:31 16:51 17:11 17:31 17:51 18:11 18:31 18:51 19:11 20:11 21:11

Addison Transit Center 15:19 15:39 15:59 16:19 16:39 16:59 17:19 17:39 17:59 18:19 18:39 18:59 19:19 20:19 21:19

Knoll Trail 15:22 15:42 16:02 16:22 16:42 17:02 17:22 17:42 18:02 18:22 18:42 19:02 19:22 20:22 21:22

Preston Rd 15:24 15:44 16:04 16:24 16:44 17:04 17:24 17:44 18:04 18:24 18:44 19:04 19:24 20:24 21:24

Coit 15:28 15:48 16:08 16:28 16:48 17:08 17:28 17:48 18:08 18:28 18:48 19:08 19:28 20:28 21:28

UT_Dallas 15:31 15:51 16:11 16:31 16:51 17:11 17:31 17:51 18:11 18:31 18:51 19:11 19:31 20:31 21:31

Cityline/Bush 15:37 15:57 16:17 16:37 16:57 17:17 17:37 17:57 18:17 18:37 18:57 19:17 19:37 20:37 21:37

12th St 15:41 16:01 16:21 16:41 17:01 17:21 17:41 18:01 18:21 18:41 19:01 19:21 19:41 20:41 21:41

Shiloh Rd 15:46 16:06 16:26 16:46 17:06 17:26 17:46 18:06 18:26 18:46 19:06 19:26 19:46 20:46 21:46

Consist Turns Count

A 801 201 212 215 915 836 236 239 250 253 258 958 8

B 803 203 214 217 222 223 228 229 240 243 254 255 955 11

C 802 202 205 216 916 832 232 235 246 249 256 257 957 9

D 804 204 207 218 219 224 225 230 233 244 247 947 10

E 806 206 209 909 831 231 242 245 945 5

F 808 208 211 911 838 238 241 252 952 5

G 810 210 213 220 221 226 227 234 237 248 251 951 10

Total full-length runs 58


10 Appendix C: Alternative Schedule for Cotton Belt with through-service to Fort Worth TEXRail trains shown in Red, based on Appendix A-1 of the TEXRail Commuter Rail Operations & Maintenance Plan (September 2015 New Starts Update).

This schedule requires sufficient double-tracking of the TEXRail corridor to sustain bi-directional headways shorter than 30 minutes. (Not currently designed.) Westbound Cotton Belt (Eastbound TEXRail)

803 801 807 811 101 202 103 304 105 206 107 308 109 210 111 312 113 907 214 115 316 117 218 119 320 222 825 831 324 226 328 121 230 123 332 125 234 127 336 129 238 131 933 340 937 242 133 941 943

Shiloh Rd 6:06 6:36 7:06 7:36 8:06 8:36 9:06 9:36 10:36 11:36 12:36 13:36 14:36 15:06 15:36 16:06 16:36 17:06 17:36 18:06 18:36 19:06 19:36 20:06 20:36 21:36

12th St 6:10 6:40 7:10 7:40 8:10 8:40 9:10 9:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:40 15:10 15:40 16:10 16:40 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 19:40 20:10 20:40 21:40

Cityline/Bush 6:14 6:44 7:14 7:44 8:14 8:44 9:14 9:44 10:44 11:44 12:44 13:44 14:44 15:14 15:44 16:14 16:44 17:14 17:44 18:14 18:44 19:14 19:44 20:14 20:44 21:44

UT-Dallas 6:20 6:50 7:20 7:50 8:20 8:50 9:20 9:50 10:50 11:50 12:50 13:50 14:50 15:20 15:50 16:20 16:50 17:20 17:50 18:20 18:50 19:20 19:50 20:20 20:50 21:50

Coit 6:23 6:53 7:23 7:53 8:23 8:53 9:23 9:53 10:53 11:53 12:53 13:53 14:53 15:23 15:53 16:23 16:53 17:23 17:53 18:23 18:53 19:23 19:53 20:23 20:53 21:53

Preston Rd 6:27 6:57 7:27 7:57 8:27 8:57 9:27 9:57 10:57 11:57 12:57 13:57 14:57 15:27 15:57 16:27 16:57 17:27 17:57 18:27 18:57 19:27 19:57 20:27 20:57 21:57

Knoll Trail 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00



To EMF 9:42 19:12 20:12 21:12 22:12

From EMF 4:53 5:41 5:53 6:53 14:41 14:53

Cypress Waters 5:04 5:46 6:04 7:04 6:48 7:18 7:48 8:18 8:48 9:18 10:18 11:18 12:18 13:18 14:18 14:46 15:04 15:18 15:48 16:18 16:48 17:18 17:48 18:18 18:48 19:48 20:48

Grapevine 5:16 6:16 7:16 6:43 7:17 7:30 7:47 8:17 8:30 8:47 9:15 9:30 10:13 11:14 11:30 12:14 13:14 13:30 15:16 15:30 16:30 16:47 17:17 17:30 17:47 18:17 18:30 18:47 19:15 20:00 21:14

DFW North 5:57 6:47 6:59 7:21 7:51 7:59 8:21 8:51 8:59 9:19 10:16 10:29 11:17 12:17 12:29 13:17 14:29 14:57 15:59 16:51 16:59 17:21 17:51 17:59 18:21 18:51 18:59 19:19 20:59 21:17

DFW Terminal B 6:04 6:51 7:06 7:25 7:55 8:06 8:25 8:55 9:06 9:23 10:20 10:36 11:21 12:21 12:36 13:21 14:36 15:04 16:06 16:55 17:06 17:25 17:55 18:06 18:25 18:55 19:06 19:23 21:06 21:21

Fort Worth T&P 5:58 6:58 7:58 8:12 9:12 10:12 12:12 14:12 15:58 16:12 17:12 18:12 19:12 20:42

Train Consist A B C D E F G B A E C G D F G E B A F D C E B G D A E F G C A B

E F G B A E C G D A F G B E F D C E B G D A E F G C A B D C F


802 804 806 102 201 104 303 106 205 108 307 110 209 112 311 910 313 114 215 908 116 317 219 118 321 120 828 223 225 327 122 229 124 331 126 233 128 335 130 237 132 339 241 343 134 936 942 940

Fort Worth T&P 6:13 7:13 8:13 9:13 10:13 11:13 13:13 15:13 16:13 17:13 18:13 19:13 20:13 21:13

DFW Terminal B 6:05 6:20 6:35 7:01 7:20 7:31 8:01 8:20 8:31 9:22 10:01 10:50 11:31 12:50 13:01 14:31 14:50 15:20 16:01 16:20 16:31 17:01 17:20 17:31 18:01 18:20 18:31 19:20 20:31 21:20

DFW North 6:10 6:27 6:39 7:05 7:27 7:35 8:05 8:27 8:35 9:29 10:05 10:57 10:35 12:57 11:35 12:35 14:57 15:27 16:05 16:27 16:35 17:05 17:27 17:35 18:05 18:27 18:35 19:27 20:35 21:27

Grapevine 6:13 6:42 6:55 7:09 7:39 7:55 8:09 8:39 8:55 9:55 10:09 10:55 10:39 11:55 11:39 13:55 12:39 15:55 16:09 16:39 16:55 17:09 17:39 17:55 18:09 18:39 18:55 19:55 20:39 20:55 21:55

Cypress Waters 6:37 7:07 7:37 8:07 8:37 9:07 9:39 10:07 11:07 11:07 12:07 13:07 14:07 15:07 15:37 16:07 16:37 17:07 17:37 18:07 18:37 19:07 19:37 20:07 21:07 21:37 21:55

To EMF 9:44 11:12 21:12 21:42 22:00

From EMF 5:13 5:43 6:13 14:43



Knoll Trail 5:25 5:55 6:25 6:55 7:25 7:55 8:25 8:55 9:25 10:25 11:25 12:25 13:25 14:25 14:55 15:25 15:55 16:25 16:55 17:25 17:55 18:25 18:55 19:25 19:55 20:25

Preston Rd 5:27 5:57 6:27 6:57 7:27 7:57 8:27 8:57 9:27 10:27 11:27 12:27 13:27 14:27 14:57 15:27 15:57 16:27 16:57 17:27 17:57 18:27 18:57 19:27 19:57 20:27

Coit 5:31 6:01 6:31 7:01 7:31 8:01 8:31 9:01 9:31 10:31 11:31 12:31 13:31 14:31 15:01 15:31 16:01 16:31 17:01 17:31 18:01 18:31 19:01 19:31 20:01 20:31

UT_Dallas 5:34 6:04 6:34 7:04 7:34 8:04 8:34 9:04 9:34 10:34 11:34 12:34 13:34 14:34 15:04 15:34 16:04 16:34 17:04 17:34 18:04 18:34 19:04 19:34 20:04 20:34

Cityline/Bush 5:40 6:10 6:40 7:10 7:40 8:10 8:40 9:10 9:40 10:40 11:40 12:40 13:40 14:40 15:10 15:40 16:10 16:40 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 19:40 20:10 20:40

12th St 5:44 6:14 6:44 7:14 7:44 8:14 8:44 9:14 9:44 10:44 11:44 12:44 13:44 14:44 15:14 15:44 16:14 16:44 17:14 17:44 18:14 18:44 19:14 19:44 20:14 20:44

Shiloh Rd 5:49 6:19 6:49 7:19 7:49 8:19 8:49 9:19 9:49 10:49 11:49 12:49 13:49 14:49 15:19 15:49 16:19 16:49 17:19 17:49 18:19 18:49 19:19 19:49 20:19 20:49

Consist Turns Count

A 803 303 210 910 831 331 238 239 939 5

B 801 201 308 908 825 225 332 341 941 5

C 807 307 907 828 328 337 242 942 4

D 811 311 316 321 226 229 336 936 6

E 802 202 205 312 317 222 223 230 233 933 8 Total Full Length Runs

F 804 304 313 218 219 324 335 340 940 7

G 806 206 209 214 215 320 327 234 237 937 8 43


11 Appendix D: O&M Cost Build-up for Cotton Belt Initial Operations Operating Paramters Job Titles FTE Salary Multiple Salary-FTEs Estimated Annual Costs

Item Value Unit TRANSPORTATION Item Unit Unit Cost No. of Units Annual Cost Annual Cost % of Total

Line Distance 27.5 mi Train Operations Manager 0.33 2 0.7 TRANSPORTATION

Trackage Length 50.8 mi Dispatcher 2.5 1 2.5 Staff Each $ 45,000 38.86 $ 1,748,625 Stations 12 Dispatch Clerk 2.5 0.75 1.9 Additive-Fringes % Wages 86% $ 1,748,625 $ 1,503,818 Vehicles in Fleet 7 Transportation Manager 0.33 2 0.7 Security Contract Line Mile $ 1,500 27.5 $ 41,250 DMU Fuel Consumption 0.636 gal/mi Transportation Supervisor 0.5 1.5 0.8 Services-Supplies-Misc 10% L + F 10% $ 3,252,443 $ 325,244

Weekdays 255 Engineer 12 1.2 14.4 Subtotal - Transportation $ 3,618,937 20.3%

Saturdays 52 Conductor 12 1.5 18.0 PROPULSION FUEL & UTILITIES

Sunday/Holidays 58 Subtotal -Transportation 30.17 38.9 Diesel Fuel Gallons/Yr $ 3.00 $ 830,096 $ 2,490,289 Annual boardings 1,350,000 riders MAINTENANCE OF WAY Station Utilities kWh/yr $0.10 $ 66,120 $ 6,612

PTC Manager 0.33 2 0.7 Shop Utilities kWh/yr $0.10 $ 5,510 $ 551

Operating Statistics PTC Supervisor 1 1.5 1.5 Subtotal - Fuel & Utilities $ 2,497,452 14.0%

Item Value Unit PTC Back-office Technician 1 1 1.0 MAINTENANCE OF WAY

Revenue Train Hours 6,963 hrs Signals & Comms Manager 0.33 2 0.7 Staff Each $ 45,000 30.81 $ 1,386,250 Revenue Train Miles 395,372 mi Signals & Comms Supervisor 1 1.5 1.5 Additive-Fringes % Wages 86% $ 1,386,250 $ 1,192,175 Deadhead factor 10% Signal Technician 10 0.75 7.5 Services-Supplies-Misc 15% L + F 15% $ 2,578,425 $ 386,764 Total Train Hours 7,659 hrs ROW Manager 0.33 2 0.7 Station/Facilities Cleaning Each $ 7,500 12 $ 90,000 Total Train Miles 434,909 mi ROW Supervisor 1 1.5 1.5 Wayside Materials Line Mile $ 14,000 27.5 $ 385,000

Weekday Syst Op Hrs 16 hrs Track & Structure Inspector 3 1 3.0 Subtotal - Maintenance of Way $ 3,440,189 19.3%

Weekend Syst Op Hrs 13 hrs On-call Railroad Bridge Engineer 1 0.6 0.6 VEHICLE MAINTENANCE

Annual Syst Op Hrs 5,510 hrs Welder 3 0.75 2.3 Staff Each $ 45,000 22.15 $ 996,600 Annual Fuel Consumption 276,699 gal Vegetation 4 0.75 3.0 Additive-Fringes % Wages 86% $ 996,600 $ 857,076

Equipment Operator 3 0.75 2.3 Services-Supplies-Misc 15% L + F 15% $ 1,853,676 $ 278,051

Staffing Maintenance Gang Supervisor 1 1 1.0 Vehicle Materials Vehicle $ 12,500 7 $ 87,500

Regular hours/year/employee 2000 Maintenance Gang Worker 5 0.75 3.8 Subtotal - Vehicle Maintenance $ 2,219,227 12.4%

Est. productive % (less sick, PTO, etc) 75% Subtotal - Maintenance of Way 35.00 30.8 GENERAL & ADMIN

Productive hours/year 1500 VEHICLE MAINTENANCE Staff Each $ 45,000 6.08 $ 273,750

Mechanical Manger 0.33 2 0.7 Additive-Fringes % Wages 86% $ 273,750 $ 235,425

Mechanical Supervisor 1 1.5 1.5 Services-Supplies-Misc 50% L + F 50% $ 509,175 $ 254,588

Vehicle Maintenance Lead 3 1 3.0 Insurance Lump Sum $ 2,000,000 1 $ 2,000,000

Vehicle Maintenance Technician 6 1.48 8.9 DART Police Lump Sum $ 300,000 1 $ 300,000

Vehicle Cleaner 10 0.75 7.5 Injuries & Damages Rider $ 0.015 1,350,000 $ 20,250

Parts Clerk 1 0.6 0.6 Subtotal - G&A $ 3,084,013 17.3%

Subtotal - Maintenance of Way 21.33 22.1 CONTINGENCY % of Above 20% $ 2,971,963 16.7%

GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE TOTAL O&M COSTS $ 17,831,780 100.0%

General Manager 0.33 3 1.0 Cotton Belt Asst GM 1 2.5 2.5

Environmental Compliance Mgr 0.33 2 0.7 NTD Categories

Env. Compliance Mgr Asst. 0.33 1.5 0.5 Ops $ 878.41 per revenue train hour

Safety Manager 0.33 2 0.7 MOW $ 67,720 per mile of track

Safety Supervisor 0.5 1.5 0.8 MOE $ 317,032 per vehicle

Subtotal - Gen & Admin 2.83 6.1 Admin 26%

Total O&M Staff 89.33 97.89 Fringe Benefit Rate 86%


12 Appendix E: Trackage Rights Charges by Public Rail Infrastructure

Owners to Freight Contract Operators LTK maintains a database of trackage rights charges where a freight operator operates over a rail network

owned by a public rail infrastructure owner. Similar arrangements are also in force where one freight carrier has

trackage rights over another. Such agreements generally exempt locomotives and “end of train units” (formerly

known as cabooses) from such charges, even when locomotives are operating with no trailing cars.

The Amtrak/Providence & Worcester (P&W) arrangement reflects extensive controversy and debate over the

last three decades as it relates to P&W’s movement of freight traffic between New Haven, CT and Providence, RI

(with all traffic between these points capable of supporting 286,000-pound cars). The fee had been $0.30 per

car-mile, starting in the mid-1980s, according to press reports. When the Providence & Worcester trackage

rights agreement expired in 1999, Amtrak raised the fee to $0.991 per car-mile, indicating that a much higher

fee was needed to recover its costs, especially as they relate to Class 7 and 8 trackage, with very demanding

passenger train maintenance tolerances. P&W protested and continued to pay only the old $0.30 rate. After

three years of negotiation and arbitration with the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS), Amtrak’s

car-mile fee was upheld. The rate as of 2002 was $0.991; the escalated rate as of 2014 is not known and is not

publicly available. P&W was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2017.

While two of the properties in the database do not distinguish between 263,000- and 286,000-pound loads, one

surveyed property with a two-tiered per car-mile fee structure for 286,000-pound cars versus 263,000-pound

cars recognizes that track wear increases at a greater rate than gross car weight. While the increase in gross car

weight to 286,000 pounds is about 9 percent higher than 263,000, the per car-mile charge is about 18 percent

higher ($0.65 versus $0.55).

The surveyed fees charged by public rail infrastructure owners to private freight operators are somewhat higher

than typically-negotiated rates between freight carriers on a car-mile basis. For example, CSX Transportation and

the Indiana Rail Road Company negotiated a $0.35 per car-mile fee for all car weights in 2007. The 1998

negotiated acquisition of Conrail by CSX and Norfolk Southern called for a $0.29 per car-mile fee for all car

weights where one freight carrier needs to operate over the other, pursuant to retained trackage rights. These

freight-only operating agreements may include significant operation over Class 1, 2 and 3 trackage (as opposed

to the Class 4 and higher trackage maintained by the public passenger railroads), resulting in lower effective

costs per mile as they relate to track wear.


Table 12-1 Survey of Charges by Public Rail Infrastructure Owners to Freight Contract Operators

Public Rail Infrastructure

Owner Freight

Operator FRA Class of Track

Charge Per Car-Mile

(Up to 263K)

Charge Per Car-Mile (Over 263K, Up to

286K) Notes

Amtrak (National Passenger

Rail Corporation)

Providence & Worcester

5,6,7,8 $0.991 $0.991 Fee as of 2002. Current fee not

available.

Confidential Confidential 4 $0.577 N.A.

Based on 1984 agreement ($0.20 at the time), escalated by

AAR Cost Index (East) since then.

Confidential Confidential 4 $0.55 $0.65

Based on 2011 agreement. Agreement calls for cost

escalation based on STB Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

(Unadjusted for Productivity) but escalation has not been

applied to date. Public Agency also charges a flat $2,500 per

month fee for dispatching.

Confidential Confidential 4 $0.55 $0.65

Based on 2017 agreement. In addition, a $200 per month

switch maintenance fee applies for all mainline switches serving freight customers. Car-mile fees apply to 15-20 mile segments of the railroad so effective car-mile

rates are higher if freight train does not operate through entire

segment. In addition, a $5000 per month dispatch fee applies.

The car-mile, switch and dispatch fees escalate annually based on the AAR Cost Index.

Confidential Confidential 3,4,5 $0.495 $0.495

Locomotives included in car-mile calculations. Maximum

weight limits include restrictions based on car length and number of axles. Additional flat rate for

maintenance, additions and betterments. Additional

maintenance fee if car-miles exceed stated maximum.

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