Connecting Fort Worth to Dallas Fort Worth Airport with a new $1B rail line

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) set out to build a 27-mile commuter rail system linking downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport, with connections to Trinity Rail Express, Amtrak, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and a regional bus network. Early in the program, a delay in federal project approval forced the original design-build schedule to be abandoned, putting the project's timeline at risk before construction could even begin. 

Delivering a $1 billion-plus rail system meant securing federal funding fast enough to avoid further delay, negotiating agreements with multiple third parties including DFW Airport and two freight railroads, coordinating utility relocations across several providers, and procuring a new class of commuter rail vehicle, all while keeping design, environmental compliance and construction moving in parallel. 

We served as a major subconsultant to CH2M, jointly leading the program management team as an integrated extension of FWTA's staff. We helped shift project delivery to a construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) model, allowing design to proceed alongside federal environmental review, and developed the CM/GC procurement solicitation. 

To recover a five-month delay, we developed a letter of no prejudice strategy that let FWTA begin construction ahead of receiving full federal funding. That groundwork helped secure a $499 million full funding grant agreement from the Federal Transit Administration in December 2016. 

We led negotiations with DFW Airport, Union Pacific Railroad and Fort Worth Western Railroad, and coordinated utility relocation agreements with Atmos Gas, Oncor Electric and AT&T. We also managed procurement of the project's diesel multiple unit vehicles and led pre-construction services for the guideway and station contract, negotiating the final lump sum contract about $35 million under the contractor's second price proposal.

TEXRail secured $499 million in federal funding, closing the gap needed to deliver a $1.034 billion commuter rail system. Our value engineering work with the design-build team identified $13 million in savings on retaining walls and utilities, and a redesigned alignment through DFW Airport eliminated a proposed tunnel, saving another $10 million. Once open, TEXRail is projected to serve nearly 13,700 daily riders by 2035, giving Fort Worth new commuter rail access to DFW Airport and the broader region.