On a weekday, the first Silver Line train leaves Shiloh Road Station at 3:23 a.m., stops at 12th Street at 3:27, and reaches DFW Terminal B at 4:18 a.m. For anyone in Plano with a 6 a.m. departure, that is the most useful line in the timetable. On Monday, Oct. 5, DART expands GoLink, its on-demand rides, across Plano, partly to get more people to Silver Line stations. GoLink starts at 5 a.m.
The airport train turns one on Oct. 25. The line opened on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, running from Plano to Terminal B. Three weeks short of that first birthday, the train and the rides that feed it still keep different hours and cover different parts of the city. Whether a car-free airport trip works from your house depends on two things: your flight time and which GoLink zone you live in.
The ride itself, from platform to gate
Plano has two Silver Line stations. Shiloh Road Station, at 1001 Shiloh Road, is the eastern end of the line. 12th Street Station is at 1200 K Avenue. 12th Street is also on the Red and Orange lines and sits a few blocks from downtown Plano's shops and restaurants. That puts it near the same blocks as Downtown Plano's First Saturday Art Walk.
From 12th Street, there's no transfer. The weekday timetable shows 51 minutes to the airport. Here's what happens after you board:
- The train makes eight stops after 12th Street: CityLine/Bush, UT Dallas, Knoll Trail, Addison, Downtown Carrollton, Cypress Waters, DFW North and DFW Terminal B.
- Terminal B Station is next to Entry/Gate B43.
- If you're flying from another terminal with only a carry-on, go through security at B and take Skylink. If you're checking bags, take the free Terminal Link shuttle to your terminal first.
DART classifies the Silver Line as Local service. An adult Local 3-hour pass is $3 and a day pass is $6. A 51-minute ride fits easily in the 3-hour pass. That same contactless fare also covers GoLink at no extra charge, but GoLink doesn't take cash.
Which Plano zones actually reach a Silver Line platform
DART's Oct. 1 announcement adds a new Southwest Plano zone and expands several existing zones. Among the destinations it names are 12th Street Station, the Silver Line, Downtown Plano Station, Parker Road Station, Collin College Plano Campus and Jack Hatchell Transit Center. The zone maps that take effect Oct. 5 show which zones connect to the airport line.
| GoLink zone | Silver Line station on the zone map | Other listed connections |
|---|---|---|
| South Central Plano | 12th Street | Downtown Plano Station, Parker Road Station, Jack Hatchell Transit Center |
| East Plano | 12th Street and Shiloh Road | Downtown Plano Station, Parker Road Station |
| East Telecom | Shiloh Road | CityLine/Bush Station, Galatyn Park Station |
| Far North Plano | None | Parker Road Station |
| North Central Plano/Chase Oaks | None | Parker Road Station |
| Legacy West | None | Northwest Plano Park & Ride, Plano Pilot |
| Southwest Plano | None | Jack Hatchell Transit Center, Northwest Plano Park & Ride |
Three of the seven geographic zones show a Silver Line station on their maps, and East Plano is the only one that shows both. The East Plano map adds one rule: you can't use GoLink to ride from one rail station to another inside the zone.
The four western and northern zones connect to Parker Road Station, Northwest Plano Park & Ride or Jack Hatchell Transit Center instead. In those zones, a GoLink ride gets you into the DART network, but not straight to the airport platform.
The expanded Zone-to-Zone Pilot doesn't change that. DART's announcement says the pilot removes the old quarter-mile buffer restrictions so riders can travel more freely between Plano GoLink areas. The pilot map is narrower. It allows travel among Far North Plano, Legacy West and North Central Plano/Chase Oaks, seven days a week, and its listed connections are Northwest Plano Park & Ride and Parker Road Station. The Legacy West map says travel between other zones isn't permitted. Until DART clarifies the difference, plan trips by the map.
The hours that decide early and late flights
Even in the three zones with a station, the clock limits what works. GoLink runs from 5 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, in every zone. Phone booking at 214-515-7272 opens at 4 a.m., and you can also book in the GoPass app under "Plan." Trips are same-day only, and opening the phone line early doesn't make the rides start early.
Compare that with the posted timetables:
- Weekday trains to DFW. Trains leave Shiloh Road at 3:23, 4:23 and 4:53 a.m., then every 30 minutes until 8:23 a.m., then hourly until early afternoon. The first two leave before GoLink starts.
- Weekend trains to DFW. The first train leaves Shiloh Road at 4:23 a.m. and 12th Street at 4:27, reaching Terminal B at 5:18 a.m. The last leaves 12th Street at 11:27 p.m.
- Weekday trains home. In the weekday schedule dated for Oct. 19, the 10:28 p.m. train from Terminal B reaches 12th Street at 11:19 p.m., before GoLink stops. The 11:28 p.m. and 12:28 a.m. trains reach 12th Street at 12:19 and 1:19 a.m., after it stops.
- Weekend trains home. The last train leaves Terminal B at 12:28 a.m. and reaches Shiloh Road at 1:22 a.m.
So the train's earliest and latest trips are exactly the ones a GoLink rider can't reach. DART's 2025 launch release advertised service from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The posted timetables are the ones to plan around, and the version dated for Oct. 19 shows the same first and last weekend trains.
When the car still matters
For a 3:23 a.m. train, or a flight home landing after about 10 p.m. on a weekday, the practical option is to drive to the station. DART lists 600 spaces at Shiloh Road and 233 at 12th Street, as available spaces rather than total lot size, and it lists both day and overnight parking at both stations. Day parking is free. For a multi-day trip, DART's general parking policy says overnight and long-term parking is the customer's responsibility and DART takes no responsibility for vehicles left overnight.
A first year with steady weekday riders
The line opened with free rides from Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, 2025. DART told Dallas City Council on May 18, 2026, that the Silver Line carried more than 15,000 trips over opening weekend. Average weekday ridership rose from 1,570 in December to 1,890 in April, while Saturday averages slipped from 1,300 to 1,170 over the same months. The same presentation said special events boost ridership.
Plano's service is set for the next several years. On Feb. 23, 2026, the city council approved a general mobility agreement with DART and repealed the ordinance that had called a May 2, 2026 withdrawal election, so that election never took place. FOX 4 reported the vote was 8–0. The agreement runs through Sept. 30, 2031. DART's final 2026 service-change recommendation also kept planned Silver Line service levels unchanged during a broader round of system changes.
The land around both stations will keep changing too. Plano's Silver Line Station Areas Plan, adopted Jan. 27, 2025, calls for a walkable Main Street extension and denser residential and commercial development near 12th Street, plus walkable mixed use and technology and employment uses near Shiloh Road. The plan gives development guidance but doesn't rezone anything by itself. If you're new in town and still setting up accounts and apps, add GoPass to the Plano utility and services checklist.
Plano's station areas are among the city's planned growth areas, and the team at Katie Chu Group follows them alongside the transit schedules. If you're weighing how close you want to be to 12th Street or Shiloh Road, or relocating and comparing commutes and airport access, schedule a consultation and we'll go through the options with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
