Since mid-October, two steel arches have stood lit above US 75. Each is about 400 feet long and rises about 80 feet over the roadway, where the Silver Line crosses the highway on its way west to DFW Airport. Richardson Today reported that crews set the arches in June and July and switched on the lights at an October 15 ceremony. The arches are new, but the train under them has been running for a full year. DART opened the line on October 25, 2025.
Thanksgiving is the first holiday week many Richardson households will have a year of Silver Line habits behind them. The detail that decides whether the train works for your trip is the calendar. On Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, DART runs the line on its weekend schedule. Trains come hourly, and the first one leaves Richardson an hour later than on a normal weekday.
Thanksgiving Week on the Silver Line Calendar
The current Silver Line timetable took effect October 19, 2026. It replaces regular weekday service on Thursday, November 26 with the Sunday schedule and on Friday, November 27 with the Saturday schedule. Wednesday, November 25, the day many travelers leave, stays on the regular weekday schedule.
Here is how the week looks from CityLine/Bush, heading west toward DFW Airport Terminal B:
| Travel day | Schedule DART runs | First train from CityLine/Bush | Service pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Regular weekday | 3:30 a.m. | Every 30 minutes at peak, hourly midday and late evening |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Sunday | 4:30 a.m. | Hourly |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Saturday | 4:30 a.m. | Hourly |
| Sat., Nov. 28 and Sun., Nov. 29 | Weekend | 4:30 a.m. | Hourly |
The week before also has schedule changes. On Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21, the timetable lists special schedules in place of regular service. At the two Richardson stations, the special Friday times match the usual weekday times, starting at 3:30 a.m. from CityLine/Bush and running every 30 or 60 minutes until 11:30 p.m. The special Saturday times follow the usual hourly pattern, starting at 4:30 a.m.
What an Hour Later Means for a Dawn Flight
The ride from CityLine/Bush to Terminal B takes 48 minutes. From UT Dallas it takes 42. On a regular weekday, those run times give an early flyer several choices. The weekday timetable has westbound trains leaving CityLine/Bush at:
- 3:30 a.m., reaching Terminal B at 4:18 a.m.
- 4:30 a.m., reaching Terminal B at 5:18 a.m.
- 5:00 a.m., reaching Terminal B at 5:48 a.m.
- 5:30 a.m., reaching Terminal B at 6:18 a.m.
On Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, the 3:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. trains are gone. The first train still leaves CityLine/Bush at 4:30 a.m., and the next one leaves at 5:30 a.m. With the same 48-minute ride, the earliest you can reach Terminal B on the holiday is 5:18 a.m. If you miss a train, the next one is an hour away instead of half an hour.
This is why Wednesday is the easier day for the train. Peak trains every 30 minutes give you a fallback if you leave the house late. On Thursday and Friday, every train has to be planned for.
Choosing Between CityLine/Bush and UT Dallas
Richardson has two Silver Line stops, and they serve different trips.
- CityLine/Bush, 1300 E. President George Bush Highway. It has 1,193 free parking spaces, located under the President George Bush Turnpike north of the platform. It also connects to the DART Red and Orange lines, bus routes 232 and 245, and GoLink.
- UT Dallas. It has 200 parking spaces. On the timetable, its ride to the airport is six minutes shorter. The university's 883 Comet Cruiser shuttle runs between CityLine/Bush and the campus.
If you plan to leave a car at either station during a trip, read DART's wording first. The CityLine/Bush station page says overnight or long-term parking "is at the discretion of the customer" and that "DART assumes no responsibility for vehicles left overnight." The UT Dallas station page uses the same language. The CityLine/Bush station page also links to directions to the lot.
The Red and Orange line connection at CityLine/Bush matters for one more reason. The Silver Line links Richardson with Plano, Addison, Carrollton, Grapevine and DFW Terminal B, but it does not go to downtown Dallas. If your holiday plans include downtown, you will change trains at CityLine/Bush.
The $3 Fare and the Skylink Transfer
DART's 2026 fare table, effective March 1, 2026, lists the Local 3-Hour Pass at $3 and the Local Day Pass at $6. Reduced fares are $1.50 and $3. The Silver Line has no separate airport fare. DART's airport trip guidance says a Local Pass covers a DART-only trip to DFW, and you can buy passes in the GoPass app, which also offers trip planning and real-time train tracking. A 48-minute ride from CityLine/Bush fits inside one 3-hour pass. Seniors, students, veterans, youth, riders with disabilities and income-qualified riders can apply for DART's reduced fare program, which takes 50% off through the GoPass Tap Card.
Every Silver Line train ends at Terminal B, and DART's DFW Airport rail guide lays out two ways to reach another terminal. American Airlines travelers clear security at Entry B43. Travelers on other airlines who have a bag to check take the free Terminal Link shuttle bus from the lower level to their departure terminal. Travelers with only carry-on luggage clear security at Terminal B and ride Skylink. DFW Airport's Skylink links all five terminals inside security, is free, and runs 24 hours. From 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., trains come about every two minutes. The average ride is five minutes, and the longest is nine. On the holiday schedule, the 5:18 a.m. arrival at Terminal B comes before Skylink's two-minute service begins, so carry-on travelers changing terminals that early should leave themselves extra time.
Coming Home on the Late Train
Trips home follow the same weekend schedule. On weekends, trains leave Terminal B toward Shiloh Road from 5:28 a.m. through 12:28 a.m. The eastbound ride takes about the same time as the westbound one. On the weekday timetable, a train that leaves Terminal B at 4:28 a.m. reaches UT Dallas at 5:09 and CityLine/Bush at 5:15. If you fly home on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving, trains back to Richardson run hourly. Through the evening, missing a train means waiting an hour for the next one. The 12:28 a.m. departure is the last of the night, and after it the next train leaves Terminal B at 5:28 a.m.
A Year of Service, and the Arches Over US 75
Richardson City Manager Don Magner spoke for the city in DART's first-anniversary release on October 29. He said the line links "UT Dallas, our employment centers and DFW Airport" and called the illuminated arches "a striking gateway to our community." The same release says that when the Silver Line opened, DFW Airport became reachable by three direct rail lines: the Silver Line, TEXRail and the Orange Line.
The arches may soon carry a name. The city's Week in Review for November 6 put a request on the November 9 City Council agenda asking DART to name the arches for former Mayor Gary Slagel.
Under the arches, the Cotton Belt Trail is still being built alongside the rail line. DART describes the full trail as running 51 miles from Plano to Downtown Fort Worth. In May 2026, Community Impact reported that Richardson's 2.8-mile section had a finished bridge over Spring Creek and two more bridges under construction. Most of the section was expected by early 2027, with the Custer bridge expected by the end of 2027.
The Silver Line has changed how Richardson residents can get to DFW, and homes near CityLine/Bush and UT Dallas now sit two stops apart on a direct line to the airport. If you'd like to know how that access figures into what your Richardson home is worth today, JP Findley Group will prepare a clear, data-driven analysis. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
