(The following story by Jeff Mosier appeared on The Dallas Morning News website on October 2, 2009.)
DALLAS — Cowboys Stadium will get temporary commuter rail service for the 2011 Super Bowl, but it might not be the plan that was previously announced.
Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told transportation professionals gathered for an aviation summit Thursday that there are two rail options. The one using a commercial corridor has already been mentioned publicly, but another possibility involves an existing commuter rail line and a shuttle service.
“We will have rail service Super Bowl Sunday,” Morris said. “We should be within 30 days of final negotiations and a decision about the Trinity Railway Express or Union Pacific corridor.”
Tara Green, vice president and chief operating office of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, said after the presentation at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field that it’s still too early to commit to either plan.
The rail issue is a tricky one for Arlington, which is the nation’s largest city without mass transit. The initial plan, which was mentioned by Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck last month, would have allowed commuter rail trains to use the Union Pacific tracks on Super Bowl Sunday. A temporary station could be placed less than a mile from the stadium although the exact location is part of the current discussions.
Another option, Green said, is to use the Trinity Railway Express line that runs north of Arlington. Although it doesn’t offer service on Sunday, it could open for this special event.
However, the CentrePort rail station is about eight miles from Cowboys Stadium, and a large number of shuttle buses would be needed to get people to and from the venue.
“Our hope is we’ll work out an agreement with UP, and we won’t need any service on the Trinity Railway Express,” Morris said.
He said if the Union Pacific deal is finalized, the TRE trains would be used on that line on the day of the Super Bowl.
Green said the need for alternative transportation is critical for the Super Bowl because of security.
Fans usually aren’t allowed to park within 300 feet of the stadium on game day, which eliminates a large number of parking spaces. There are already plans to have some fans park at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie and a business park at the site of the former Forum 303 Mall in Arlington and then run shuttles to and from the stadium.
The Super Bowl host committee has dozens of volunteers working on transportation issues, including a group devoted specifically to aviation. Morris said there could be hundreds of private planes arriving at more than a dozen general aviation airports in the region. That does not include the thousands that will arrive via Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport or Dallas Love Field.
Morris said that helicopter service will probably be available for some people arriving in private jets who want a quicker way to get to their hotels or events.
The aviation committee is working on a Web site to provide links and information about every local airport and their capacities. Morris said members are still trying to decide whether to try to direct Super Bowl fans with private planes to specific airports based on the locations of their hotels or whether to allow the market to sort that out.
Morris said details should be worked out this fall.
Helicopter service to the game, however, probably won’t be an option, even for high-rollers.
“Security at the stadium is significant,” Morris said.
There will be flight restrictions in the area and probably a no-fly zone for about 10 miles around the stadium.
The Super Bowl will also provide other challenges for transportation facilities. Jeff Fegan, chief executive of D/FW Airport said his terminals are likely to become massive makeshift hotels.
“We can expect about 5,000 fans that will probably sleep in my terminal buildings because they don’t want to pay for a hotel night after the game,” Fegan said.