No blue debut: Trinity Metro delays new downtown Fort Worth bus route

Transit riders may be a bit blue about the delay of Fort Worth’s new downtown bus route.

Trinity Metro, the Tarrant County transit agency, delayed the launch of the Blue Line until later in 2025. Officials initially planned to debut a new blue bus at the Visit Fort Worth annual meeting Feb. 14, but an Orange Line bus was featured instead.

“We are pausing the Blue Line bus launch and other new initiatives to evaluate all funding sources,” agency spokesperson Laura Hanna told the Fort Worth Report. “This strategic step allows us to plan responsibly while maintaining our commitment to quality transit services. We expect to launch Blue Line later this year but do not have an exact date at this time.”

The Blue Line is a rebranding of a downtown Fort Worth route previously known as Molly the Trolley. Trinity Metro said it is considering other color-coded routes to rebrand its bus service since fares have also been simplified.

Two new color-coded bus routes — maroon and green — are being considered, Trinity Metro president and CEO Richard W. Andreski told the Fort Worth City Council on Jan. 14.

The Maroon Line is proposed for a Near Southside route, while the Green Line would be a western route to the Fort Worth Zoo, he said.

The Blue Line route is expected to provide free rides in downtown Fort Worth after Trinity Metro launched its Orange Line between downtown and the Stockyards in late 2024. 

The new route will roughly border downtown by traveling along Houston Street from West 2nd Street to West 14th Street. From there, the route continues on Throckmorton Street to West Lancaster Avenue, then takes Commerce Street to East 14th Street. From there, the route travels on Jones Street to East 9th Street and back to Commerce before returning to 2nd Street.

Six Blue Line buses will be part of the downtown route. Vehicles used for the now-defunct Dash, an old route between downtown and the Cultural District that ended in September, will be incorporated. 

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected]. 

Disclosure: Mitch Whitten of Visit Fort Worth serves on the Report’s board of directors. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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