November 9, 2026

Silver Line Equipment Maintenance Facility Earns ENR Award of Merit

Creative problem-solving, smart planning and a team ready to adapt helped deliver an award-winning facility.

The Shiloh Equipment Maintenance Facility (EMF) in Plano, Texas has earned an ENR Best Projects Award of Merit in the Airport/Transit category.

Built for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the 5-acre facility sits near the end of the Silver Line, DART’s new route connecting Plano with DFW International Airport. As DART’s fourth regional rail facility, it provides a dedicated home for cleaning, maintaining, refueling and storing the Silver Line’s fleet of eight new diesel multiple-unit vehicles.

Completed on schedule and at budget, the project is a great example of what can happen when collaboration, planning and ingenuity come together.

The facility includes a 17,761-sq-ft basement, an 11,030-sq-ft first floor and two mezzanines as well as embedded track in the concrete apron around the maintenance and wash facilities, pedestaled track inside the maintenance facility and plinth track inside the wash facility.

Finding a Better Way Through Rock

At the 95% design stage, two months before construction started, a geotechnical study confirmed soil conditions that made it possible to add a basement to the maintenance building. The team moved quickly, receiving notice to proceed on a Friday and starting work the following Monday.

With the new design requiring excavation through two layers of hard limestone, the team turned to a specialty rock trencher, a roughly 60-foot-long machine resembling a giant chainsaw. The equipment efficiently cut through the limestone and, along with other schedule-saving strategies, helped the team gain three months on the schedule.

Making Every Foot Count

With the site measuring just 90 feet across at its widest point and the maintenance building occupying 65 feet of that space, thoughtful sequencing was essential. The team planned construction from the outside in, strategically adjusted access routes as work progressed and coordinated activities around the adjacent active railroad.

Those same problem-solving skills came into play when a new 20-inch City of Plano water line was added after track and underground utility work was already underway.

Rather than disrupting completed work, the team developed a plan to bore the new line 17 feet beneath all four tracks. They also leveraged existing manufacturing relationships to secure specialty pipe in 20 weeks instead of the estimated one-year lead time, saving nearly six months.

Building Alongside an Operating Railroad

The team's flexibility also helped DART manage its new fleet while construction continued.

When additional vehicle storage was needed, crews accelerated track work to create space at the facility, eliminating the need for trains to travel to another yard during off-hours. The team also adjusted sequencing when DART needed to perform vehicle maintenance, creating space within the project for that work while construction continued around it.

Ready for the Silver Line

The location of this EMF is near the end of the Silver Line, creating another long-term benefit for DART. Operators can begin and end their day at the facility rather than making unnecessary trips to another yard, supporting more efficient operations and reliable regional rail service.

"This project delivered measurable benefits to all stakeholders involved. DART gained a much-needed facility in an optimal location on property it already owned, maximizing existing resources and operational efficiency. The community benefited from the project's seamless execution, as construction activities were completed with zero impact on revenue service, eliminating disruptions for transit users. For Stacy Witbeck and its subcontractors, the project provided an opportunity to demonstrate industry-leading expertise in planning, coordination, and execution. The project's successful completion highlights the effectiveness of the team's collaboration, innovation, and commitment to delivering results."
Marcus Olmstead, Project Manager at Stacy Witbeck

The award recognizes a cool project, but also the kind of work behind it: teams planning ahead, adapting quickly and finding smart solutions that keep projects moving.

That is good work worth celebrating.