T ransportation has always been a challenge in Dallas. Today its congested freeways. In the early 1900's, it was the railroads. There were nine rail lines that served the city from five different stations. This created a lot of redundancy of track, which confined the city's growth patterns. It also made getting around confusing. In 1912, the Union Terminal company was formed with the plan of uniting all the rail service into a single comprehensive depot. Union Station is the result. As rail fell out of favor Union Station fell into disrepair. But toward the end of the 1990's it was revitalized through a major facelift, and the installation of DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) light rail lines to the terminal. The building is still underutilized, but is at least making a comeback to its heyday when it was the center of attention in a bustling frontier town.
