One metroplex, several transit agencies

Dallas-Fort Worth is not one city, and its trains are not one system. DART runs light rail on the Dallas side. Trinity Metro runs TEXRail on the Fort Worth side. DCTA runs the A-train in Denton County. The Trinity Railway Express, the commuter train between the two downtowns, is owned half and half by DART and Trinity Metro.

For a renter, that means two things. First, a place can be close to a station and still be a long ride from where you work, if the line you need belongs to another system. Second, schedules, fares and ticket apps belong to each agency and change over time, so we do not list them here. Check the agency’s own site before you count on a route.

Dallas and Plano: DART light rail

DART trains have stopped at Downtown Plano Station, off 15th Street in the historic downtown, since 2002, with a direct ride to Dallas. If you work in Dallas and are weighing a smaller downtown, that line is a reason to look at Plano.

The newer DART Silver Line opened in October 2025. It has two stops in south Plano, 12th Street and Shiloh Road, and runs west to DFW Airport. For anyone who flies often for work, that changes the map of south Plano.

Inside Dallas, some neighborhoods have their own station. Deep Ellum, just east of downtown, has a stop on DART’s Green Line.

Between the two downtowns: the TRE

The Trinity Railway Express runs between Union Station in downtown Dallas and T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth. On the way it stops in Irving and at CentrePort/DFW Airport station, among others. It is the train to know if you live on one side of the metroplex and work on the other.

It is also why the choice between Fort Worth and Dallas does not have to be all or nothing: the train can put the other city in your search.

Fort Worth to the airport: TEXRail

TEXRail, run by Trinity Metro, goes from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport, Terminal B. In Grapevine it stops at Grapevine–Main Street and at DFW Airport North.

That puts Grapevine in an unusual spot: a historic Main Street with a train station on it, next to the airport. Its neighbor Southlake has no station of its own; the closest one is Grapevine–Main Street, about four miles from Southlake Town Square.

Rail to the airport, three ways

If you fly often for work, three rail lines reach DFW International Airport, from three directions: TEXRail from downtown Fort Worth and Grapevine, the Silver Line from south Plano, and the TRE, whose CentrePort/DFW Airport station sits on the line between the two downtowns.

Each line reaches the airport in its own way: TEXRail, for example, ends at Terminal B. Before you count on a station, check how it connects to the terminal you use. What matters for the search is simpler: if the airport is part of your week, tell us, and we weigh it the same way we weigh your office.

Denton: the A-train

At the north end of the metroplex, DCTA’s A-train runs from the Downtown Denton Transit Center to Trinity Mills station in Carrollton. There it connects with DART’s Green Line toward Dallas.

If you are looking at Denton and commute into Dallas, ask us to compare that transfer with the drive before you decide.

Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts: the streetcar

The Dallas Streetcar opened in 2015 and was extended to the Bishop Arts District in 2016. It runs from Union Station, where it meets DART rail, across the Trinity to Bishop Arts, with six stations in all. When we checked in September 2026, it was listed as free to ride.

It is a short line, but it ties Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts to downtown and to the rest of the rail network.

Where you will want a car

Some of the cities we cover have no fixed-route buses or trains at all. Arlington is one: instead, the city runs Arlington On-Demand, a shared ride you book in an app. It covers the whole city and reaches the CentrePort TRE station.

Southlake is another, with no bus or rail service inside its city limits. In places like these, the drive to work is the commute, and it is worth timing it at the hour you would really make it.

Frisco is not a DART member city and has no fixed-route buses. It runs GoZone, an on-demand ride with DCTA that connects to DART at the Northwest Plano Park & Ride, plus a service for older residents and people with disabilities. If you look at Frisco and work in Dallas, plan the commute around a car or that connection.

Arlington is still an option if you work in Dallas or in Fort Worth, because it sits between the two.

How we use this in your search

Where you will commute to is the first of three questions we ask, before budget, size or move-in date. The other two are what you do on weekends and whether you want to be near family or friends.

If you want to live near a station, say so at the start, and name the station or the line if you know it. You can also read our guide to the eight cities we cover, or see them all on the neighborhoods page.