Dallas leaders unveil transportation plans for World Cup

ARLINGTON, Texas - North Texas officials say they're prepared to help over a million people travel to World Cup matches this summer.

World Cup transit plans for North Texas

What we know:

The North Texas FWC Organizing Committee and the North Central Texas Council of Governments unveiled public and private transportation plans for this summer's World Cup on Thursday.

One of the public transit improvements will be adding additional capacity to the Trinity Railway Express, or TRE. 

Currently, the TRE operates six trains with three cars. During the World Cup, the TRE will add four additional trains with four cars each.

Match day transit

For the nine match days during the tournament, ticket holders using public transit will need to do a bit of walking to make it to the stadium.

Ticket holders can board the TRE in Dallas at Victory Station or Fort Wort at Central Station and ride it to CentrePort Station. From there, fans will ride charter buses to a bus hub in Arlington. 

Once in Arlington, fans will need to make a half-mile walk to Dallas Stadium, which the NTFWC estimates at around 10 minutes.

The sections of AT&T Way and Cowboys Way that border Dallas Stadium will be closed on match days.

North Texas residents are encouraged to drive to matches, where over 16,000 spaces will be open for general parking. 

Arlington's Esports Stadium parking lot has been designated as the rideshare lot for the duration of the tournament.

FIFA Fan Festival transit

Residents and visitors are encouraged to use DART's Green Line to reach the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park.

On-site parking will be limited, and 30,000 fans are expected to attend per event.

International Broadcast Center

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will house the International Broadcast Center for the World Cup

Several surrounding roads will be closed in June and July as the event takes place.

Toll lane changes on I-30

New toll lanes on I-30 that change directions during rush hour will be used to help direct traffic during the World Cup. Lanes will change directions based on World Cup match times.

Dallas Stadium will open three hours before each match, offering fans ample time to make their way to Arlington.

For residents not traveling to games, it's recommended you seek alternate routes to I-30 and I-20, which will be swamped with match-day traffic.

"Nine Super Bowls"

What they're saying:

Leaders from the North Texas FWC and the North Central Texas COG spoke on the logistics of moving so many people.

"We're welcoming the world for the equivalent of nine Super Bowls," said Karla Windsor, one of the speakers at Thursday's presser.

"As you can imagine. Our international visitors are probably more familiar with transit systems in their home countries, which is why you see the magnitude of the transit investment that we have in our particular plan," Michael Morris, the Director of Transportation for the North Central Texas COG, said.

When asked why the charter buses won't drop spectators off at Dallas Stadium, Morris pointed to the magnitude of traffic expected in the area.

"People start screaming at their Uber driver that they can walk faster than the Uber driver can go the last half a mile because of the magnitude of traffic around the venue. You do not want to do that with a charter bus."