North Texas transportation planners say there is still plenty of room for more fans to use trains and charter buses to reach upcoming World Cup matches at Dallas Stadium. Officials are beginning to see how many fans from around the world have embraced the region’s transportation plan, which inc ludes riding DART in Dallas or Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, taking the TRE to CentrePort and then boarding a charter bus to Arlington. About 6,000 fans are using the transit system per game, according to Michael Morris. Current capacity stands at about 10,000 riders per match before additional buses would need to be activated. That available capacity is prompting transportation planners to adjust their message to local fans. Earlier in the tournament, officials encouraged local fans to drive when possible in order to preserve transit capacity for international visitors. Morris said that is no longer necessary. “I don’t think that needs to be the message anymore – I think we have plenty of transit capacity,” said Morris. One international visitor said the transportation options have made getting around North Texas easier. Austria fan Max Bankhamer said the combination of trains and charter buses, along with expanded rideshare lot capacity near the stadium, has worked well during his visit. “The green line, orange line is pretty handy,” said Bankhamer. Bankhamer described the overall experience as “pretty solid.” Transportation leaders will continue monitoring ridership as the tournament progresses, particularly for an upcoming 6 p.m. match on Thursday and a 9 p.m. match on Saturday. Monica Paul, who leads the North Texas World Cup effort, said officials expect ridership numbers could increase as the tournament continues. “I anticipate that some of the numbers will start to increase a little bit,” said Paul. Even so, transportation officials say the extensive planning effort has paid off through the first three matches and are encouraging more fans to consider trains and buses on game days. Paul said organizers remain focused on the work ahead. “We’re also heads down and know that we are only three matches in and we have six more to go,” said Paul. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less