28 replies to this topic

[septa105R5/seClip9]

To start off, this is their recent plan which they will be in process soon.

Quote

January 25, 2011
DART approves agency's first CNG bus order
In the latest phase of its clean transit fuels program, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) board has approved one of the nation's largest compressed natural gas (CNG) bus orders.

The $210 million contract with North American Bus Industries, Inc. of Anniston, Alabama will allow the agency to purchase up to 452 new 30-foot and 40-foot heavy duty, low floor buses to replace the current fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and clean diesel buses which began service in 1998. The new buses are scheduled to be in service in 2013. The full fleet conversion should be complete in 2015.

DART plans to award a contract in April for the construction of four CNG fueling stations. The stations will be located at its bus and Paratransit maintenance facilities.

Their turn towards green buses with CNG fuel when they will soon order the new Restyle NABI LFW bus soon.

Many transit agencies whom already LNG buses in their fleet like OCTA and Big Blue Buses are switching to ordering CNG buses instead of LNG even though they're committted to order natural gas powered fleet. Why CNG are much more common these days than LNG.

[TheAverageJoe]

Is this to start replacing their RTS?

[septa105R5/seClip9]

Yes, starting with the RTS dated back from 1998 and 1999 since they're eligible to be replaced now. Their whole fleet including the NABI 416 from 2003 will completely replaced by 2015 leaving them with 100% CNG fleet only there since they're replacing their whole LNG and Diesel fleet by 2015.

This is perhaps another major large order for a transit to replace its entire fleet and NABI will be out at its facility to manufacture big number of buses for its customer. Dallas DART's move is similar to New Jersey Transit as they also order large number of NABI 416 to replace most of its entire fleet

[RTS_04]

septa105R5/seClip9, on Jan 26 2011, 12:31 PM, said:

Yes, starting with the RTS dated back from 1998 and 1999 since they're eligible to be replaced now. Their whole fleet including the NABI 416 from 2003 will completely replaced by 2015 leaving them with 100% CNG fleet only there since they're replacing their whole LNG and Diesel fleet by 2015.

This is perhaps another major large order for a transit to replace its entire fleet and NABI will be out at its facility to manufacture big number of buses for its customer. Dallas DART's move is similar to New Jersey Transit as they also order large number of NABI 416 to replace most of its entire fleet

Glad to see TONS of RTS in service around Dallas -- and that essentially every bus in service is still HF. I'm assuming these new NABIs will be LF?

Also managed to catch the second-to-last Nova RTS built in service, too...

[lap_screw]

thank god i got there this year

[neoartic7101]

Did any of these NABI CNG buses hit the streets in Dallas yet? Of still with the same fleet of buses?

[ADB]

A look at the new NABI buses.

[septa105R5/seClip9]

Those NABI 40-LFW GEN III CNG looked great. In appearence, the third restyled looked much smoother just like NABI METRO 45C.

[MVTArider]

*Bob Hope growl* Woah! That looks way better than the prototype of the 3rd LFW styling, me like!

[BCT-3122-D800-10240]

Was reading up a bit on the Dallas Dart fleet on the WIKI and noticed a problem: http://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php?title=Dallas_Area_Rapid_Transit

4600-4742 are Nova RTS built in 1999. But then the next line shows 4732-4742 as Nova RTS built in 2000. Could someone from the area or has strong knowledge of this system please look into this please? Thanks!

Also, I see the newest Articulated buses are Neoplans from 1986 (#'s 4001-4030), so I pretty much assume these are gone along with their Neoplan 40 footers. Did the Dallas DART decide not to bother with articulated buses anymore?

Also, only 2 Flxible Metro's listed in the DART fleet? Seems to me that there were many more Metro's at one point.

[Dr. Casca]

IINM, Dallas, along with Houston, decided not to continue their investment in articulated buses...it might have to do with a possible restructuring of their bus route network very similar to Calgary, mainly having a number of main inner city through routes, with a few express and flyer services to outer areas, and buses that either run crosstown for feed into transit centers and/or light rail stations. They just recently opened up the Orange Line to Irving Convention Center and Las Colinas with another Orange Line extension in Irving and the Blue Line extenstion into Rowlett slated to open in December. With the Orange Line running into Irving, several bus lines were renumbered from 300-series TC feeder routes to 500-series LRT direct routes and some services rerouted or cut altogether.

[Dr. Casca]

Much to my surprise, Houston has placed an order for some NovaBUS LFS Artic buses for their busiest route, after they just replaced their last AN460s with more 40-footers...IDK anymore...

[HoustonMETROFan]

Dr. Casca, on 01 January 2013 - 12:54 PM, said:

Much to my surprise, Houston has placed an order for some NovaBUS LFS Artic buses for their busiest route, after they just replaced their last AN460s with more 40-footers...IDK anymore...

You're right about the LFSA order. We're getting 70 of them. As for what routes they'll be on and which bus garages will get them, that'll be something I'll ask METRO when it gets close to the time that the artics will arrive.

[edison]

A DART fact sheet for their new buses... http://www.dart.org/...BIFactSheet.pdf

[edison]

The first new buses are starting to roll out in service, and also making news in Dallas... http://transportatio...yre-safer.html/ (the video isn't that great though)

[BCT-3122-D800-10240]

I opened a new photo gallery for DART on my website last month: http://www.busdrawin...texas/index.htm

[edison]

BCT-3122-D800-10240, on 07 February 2013 - 03:22 PM, said:

I opened a new photo gallery for DART on my website last month: http://www.busdrawin...texas/index.htm

Nice Pictures!
Looks like somebody posted a video of a ride on a new NABI... http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ExzCIg2_wHI

[MetrolinerXLZ]

Just went to Texas last week, and part of my travels included Dallas (2 days). About 18 of the NABI 3Gs are in service mainly on the 987 Rapid Line (Royal Lane-Downtown Garland).

Additional observations:

1. All of the Nova RTS's have ZF trannies, including the 42-4500s.

2. The NABI 416's can be found almost everywhere (though they're mainly for the 200-series routes) and have the S50EGR/ZF combo.

3. DART currently runs 590 RTS's (give or take); the current order of NABI 3Gs is only for 459 units. Even after the order is complete, about 100 or so RTS's and ALL of the NABI 416s will still remain in service after 2016 (unless DART does a major fleet downsizing or exercises additional options).

Wiki roster has been updated!

For photos (including those of the NABI 3Gs), click the link below:
https://plus.google....099167605105169

I also have audio recordings and videos in production. They will be uploaded throughout the weekend on my YouTube channel (MetrolinerXLZ).

[edison]

Thank's for the update and great pics! The bike rack on 36009 looks like it only can hold one bike.

[HoustonMETROFan]

edison, on 16 February 2013 - 01:38 PM, said:

Thank's for the update and great pics! The bike rack on 36009 looks like it only can hold one bike.

That's because someone who may have used the bike rack forgot to put it back up.