With a honk, a lurch and a hum, an electric train packed with dignitaries pulled away from downtown Union Station, launching the Southwest's first public local rail system.
"It's nice and it's clean, for its first day. We'll see how long that will last," said Leslie Conant, a 17-year-old student who boarded the train Friday.The opening of the downtown "light rail" electric system marked Dallas' first capital investment in mass transit beyond road-based systems like buses and car-pooling.
"I think it's terrific. The air conditioning works," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as she squeezed onto a sleek yellow-and-white rail car after an outdoor dedication ceremony in sweltering heat.
Under a mandate to cut air pollution, Dallas had tried for a decade to win public support for the $870 million project named DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit).
The federal government is paying $160 million of the cost.