When North Texas' transit agencies began planning the proposed Cotton Belt commuter line, they decided early on that they wanted to use low-profile, self-propelled rail cars that would have minimal noise and air pollution impact on neighborhoods.
They didn't want smog-belching locomotives churning through residential areas, pulling double-decker passenger cars so tall that train riders could peek into homeowners' windows.
But until recently, federal rules didn't allow vehicles with light-rail comforts to operate on freight tracks.
In October 2011, the Federal Railroad Administration approved crash-worthiness guidelines for modern commuter rail cars operating on freight lines. The agency was spurred on by the wishes of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and other agencies nationwide that are looking to add passenger lines in freight corridors.
The new rail cars ride lower -- a bit like a light-rail vehicle or a streetcar -- and burn diesel fuel far more efficiently than traditional locomotives.
They are fully handicap-accessible, air-conditioned and roomy on the inside.
The first -- and, so far, only -- company to design a car that meets the new requirements is Stadler Rail Group of Switzerland. The company sold 11 sets of its Stadler GTW cars to the Denton County Transportation Authority, which unveiled them last year on the A-train route from Denton to Carrollton.
As the North Central Texas Council of Governments prepares to receive an unsolicited proposal to develop the Cotton Belt corridor from southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Plano, Stadler could be among the companies vying to build rail cars for the route.
