Major cities across the United States heavily rely on public transportation to decrease traffic congestion, but when the system comes to a halt, it can cause a plethora of issues. Transportation authorities are responsible for doing their part to ensure operations continue.
Unfortunately, the lack of business continuity planning at the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) caused the system to close for three days last week, the Dallas Morning News reported. The last time the city's light-rail network closed was February 2011. This was the weekend of the 45th Super Bowl—when it was hosted at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium.
However, the difference between these two closures is that this time, DART tried to keep the electric current moving on the light rail by running the rails overnight, "but an abundance of precipitation and fast-dropping temperatures thwarted their efforts," the News' contributor Brandon Formby writes.
Dallas residents were still unable to use the trains on Sunday, but DART was running tests along these routes that afternoon, according to Culture Map.
"Our goal is to be in operation Monday, and we're doing everything we can to achieve it," DART officials explained. "However, it's also possible that we may not have the full rail system open Monday. We are still operating buses along the rail corridors to get you where you need to go."
Although DART's issues hurt the organization's sales, the delays to the transit system impacted operations for nearby businesses as well. In order to reduce the risk posted by such disruptions, DART may want to contact a business continuity consultant.