Houston & Texas Central — Parker Road to McKinney

TX · Plano (Parker Road) → McKinney

A 1870s main line north of Dallas, saved for trains that never came back.

Heads up: DART owns this corridor and could put it back into service. Both ends meet live track: light rail at Parker Road and freight trains into McKinney. Get permission before riding.

The Houston & Texas Central built north through Collin County in the early 1870s, linking Dallas with Plano, Allen and McKinney on its way to the Red River. It later became part of the Southern Pacific, and for about a century freight and passenger trains ran up this corridor through the farm towns north of Dallas.

As the towns grew into suburbs, Dallas Area Rapid Transit bought the line to keep the corridor for future transit. DART's Red Line light rail now runs on the southern part as far as Parker Road in Plano. North of there, the old track was left in place.

Today about nine miles of rail sit unused between Parker Road and south McKinney, overgrown behind backyards and shopping centers. At the north end, the Dallas, Garland & Northeastern still runs freight into McKinney.

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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