Behind every improvement to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail transit system is a complex network of digital tools that keep projects moving, budgets aligned and teams connected.
As DART undertakes its future-focused System Modernization Program, an effort to renew aging infrastructure, improve accessibility and enhance the rider experience across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, STV, in joint venture, is helping the agency strengthen the digital backbone that supports its capital program.
As program manager, STV is providing system modernization services, with a key focus on modernizing DART’s Program Management Information System (PMIS), a foundational platform that touches nearly every aspect of capital delivery.
The result is a comprehensive information management plan that mapped out how PMIS, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other systems could work together to deliver greater transparency, efficiency and confidence across the program.
That vision is being supported further through the implementation of Kahua as DART’s new enterprise-wide PMIS. Working closely with stakeholders across finance, procurement and other teams, STV is designing and configuring the platform, developing new processes and procedures, and guiding a seamless transition away from the agency’s legacy system.
Once fully deployed, Kahua will enable documentation to be captured earlier in the process, reducing miscoding, simplifying financial reconciliation and giving leadership clearer, real-time visibility into the capital program.
“DART’s previous system made it difficult to trace discrepancies or understand the full story,” Brady said. “By redesigning the workflow so documentation enters the system first through Kahua, we’re eliminating blind spots and creating a much more accountable and transparent process.”
Additionally, STV is leading DART’s shift toward model-based design, creating BIM standards, coding requirements, contract language and hosting the BIM environment during early implementation. The first pilot project, DART’s light rail vehicle maintenance facilities modernization, will begin in 2027.
“Our ability to bring together local expertise and national advisors is helping DART run a more coordinated and efficient modernization program,” Brady said. “Clients increasingly see our integrated project controls and digital delivery capabilities as a true differentiator.”
