Taking the Silver Line to DFW for Thanksgiving: How Canyon Creek Can Ride the Holiday Timetable

On Thursday, Nov. 26, Silver Line trains leave UT Dallas Station for DFW Airport once an hour, at 36 minutes past, from 4:36 a.m. to 11:36 p.m. On a regular weekday, the same platform sees a train every 30 minutes through the morning peak.

DART's Silver Line just finished its first year. It opened on Oct. 25, 2025, as a 26-mile regional rail line that ties Plano, Richardson, Addison, Carrollton, Coppell, Grapevine and Dallas to DFW International Airport, and DART marked the anniversary on Oct. 29 with comments from city leaders along the line. For Canyon Creek in northwest Richardson, the station to know is UT Dallas Station, the westernmost of the line's two Richardson stops. The ride from there to Terminal B takes about 42 minutes on every day of the week. How often a train comes depends on the date. Thanksgiving week runs four different service patterns, and the two holiday days carry the thinnest one.

Thanksgiving week runs four different schedules

Under DART's timetables effective Oct. 19, 2026, a regular weekday has 30 trains leaving UT Dallas for the airport. The first leaves at 3:36 a.m. and the last at 11:36 p.m. Trains come every 30 minutes from 4:36 to 8:36 a.m. and again from 1:36 to 6:36 p.m., and once an hour the rest of the day.

On a Sunday, the same station has 20 airport-bound trains. They run every hour on the hour's :36 mark, from 4:36 a.m. to 11:36 p.m. DART's printed timetables put Thanksgiving Day on that Sunday schedule and the Friday after on the Saturday schedule. Both holiday days are also on DART's systemwide holiday list of days that run weekend service.

The weekend before the holiday also has changes. DART is running special "Spring Tensioner" schedules on Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, in place of the usual service for those days.

For a Canyon Creek household, this sets a simple rule for the week. From Monday through Wednesday, a missed train during the morning or late-afternoon peak costs about half an hour. On Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and both Sundays, a missed train costs a full hour.

Working backward from a holiday flight

Hourly service makes the plan easy to write down because the minute marks never change. On Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, trains leave UT Dallas at :36 and reach DFW Airport Terminal B at :18 of the next hour. The 6:36 a.m. arrives at 7:18, the 9:36 arrives at 10:18, and the last train, at 11:36 p.m., arrives at 12:18 a.m. Pick the arrival that leaves the amount of airport time your family is comfortable with, and then plan the drive to Waterview Parkway around that :36 departure.

Coming home works the same way at different minutes. On weekend schedules, trains leave Terminal B at :28, from 5:28 a.m. to 12:28 a.m., and reach UT Dallas at :09. On Sunday, Nov. 29, the last train out of the airport leaves at 12:28 a.m. and reaches UT Dallas at 1:09 a.m. Monday-through-Wednesday returns follow the same pattern in the late evening, with trains leaving Terminal B at 8:28, 9:28, 10:28 and 11:28 p.m. and at 12:28 a.m.

Those late trains also help anyone picking up relatives. A guest who lands on Thanksgiving evening and walks to the Terminal B platform by 8:28 p.m. arrives at UT Dallas at 9:09 p.m., and someone from home can meet them at the station.

What the UT Dallas Station lot allows

DART lists UT Dallas Station at 3416 Waterview Pkwy., on the north side of campus between Synergy Park Boulevard and Waterview Parkway. These are the details that matter for a holiday trip:

• Parking: 200 free spaces. DART's station page says overnight or long-term parking "is at the discretion of the customer" and that DART "assumes no responsibility for vehicles left overnight."
• Bus connection: Route 244 to Arapaho Center Station uses Bay 2.
• On the platform: Ticket vending machines, shelters and seating.

That parking language matters for a five-day Thanksgiving trip. The lot is free, but DART is not promising anything about a car left for several nights, so some families may prefer a drop-off for longer trips.

CityLine/Bush Station is the other Richardson stop. It is one station east, and the same train passes through six minutes before it reaches UT Dallas. It also connects to DART's Red and Orange lines and several bus routes.

Fares for a day of travel

DART lists a $6 Local Day Pass and a $9 Regional Day Pass on its Silver Line page. The Regional Day Pass dropped from $12 to $9 on March 1, 2026, and it covers DART, Trinity Metro and DCTA under one fare. DART's own fare explainer has listed a $3 adult three-hour pass, which includes transfers within that window. Check the DART fares page for current prices before a holiday trip. Ticket machines at the station sell and reload GoPass Tap cards.

Getting from the Terminal B platform to the gate

The Silver Line ends at DFW Airport Terminal B. The airport-bound destination sign reads "DFW Airport," so riders stay on until the last stop. What comes next depends on the airline and whether there is a checked bag. DART's airport guide lays out these steps:

1. American Airlines: Go through security at Entry B43. Inside security, Skylink connects to the other terminals.
2. Other airlines with a checked bag: Take the free Terminal Link shuttle from the lower level to your departure terminal.
3. Other airlines with carry-ons only: Go through security at Terminal B and ride Skylink to your terminal.

American's gates fill B1 through B49, and the airline also flies from Terminals A, C, D and E, so check your gate on the boarding pass rather than assuming Terminal B. DFW says Skylink is free, runs 24 hours, links all five terminals inside security, and takes about five minutes between terminals.

For pickups, guests going home with family follow the same route in reverse. The Silver Line platform is reached by the walkway on Terminal B's lower level near Entry B43. Going to baggage claim takes a traveler outside security, and from there Terminal Link is the way across the airport. Look for the DART-branded train, because Trinity Metro's TEXRail to Fort Worth also uses that station.

The trail work growing up around the station

The ground around UT Dallas Station is still changing. The Cotton Belt Regional Trail follows the rail line, and the City of Richardson's October 2026 construction newsletter shows several segments near the station finished. Construction is complete on the trail from Waterview Parkway to Rutford Road and from Rutford Road to the existing UTD Trail. The Waterview Parkway intersection crossing was at 65 percent, and the segment under the KCS bridge east of the UTD Trail was still in design. Overall trail progress in Richardson stood at 76 percent. The city notes that its finish dates mark the end of construction, not the date a segment opens to the public. DART's station page also notes UT Dallas plans for a transit-oriented development near the station, with housing, retail and restaurants.

In DART's anniversary release, Richardson City Manager Don Magner tied these projects together:

"Linking UT Dallas, our employment centers and DFW Airport strengthens our ability to attract investment and talent while giving residents, students and businesses more ways to reach the places that matter to them. New trail connections build on that investment, and the recently illuminated arches over US 75 provide a striking gateway to our community."

For a holiday trip, the timetable is the part to plan around. On Nov. 26 and 27, the train leaves UT Dallas at :36 past each hour, from 4:36 a.m. to 11:36 p.m.

Questions about a move timed around the holidays, or about what new transit and trail work near UT Dallas means for your block? Graham Group would be glad to talk it through over coffee, and we can start with a free home valuation whenever you're ready.