DCTA officials say passenger rail service to Denton should start by summer 2011, offering their first timetable for the A-train project since abandoning hopes of finishing it by the end of next year.

“We’re confident we’ll have the full line, all five stations, by mid-2011,” said Dee Leggett, vice president of communications and planning for the Denton County Transportation Authority.

Construction is under way on the 21-mile rail project, which would link Denton to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Carrollton. DCTA officials had hoped to open the full line by December 2010 but abandoned that goal in September.

DCTA has been unable to reach final agreements with the city of Denton and DART over use of the rail corridor, among other problems. But officials are confident that they’re close to resolving the issues, Leggett said.

DART spokesman Morgan Lyons agreed that a deal was within reach.

“The discussions have been good, and we’re confident we’ll be able to get this worked out,” he said.

Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs echoed that optimism, saying he expected the three parties would reach long-term agreements by the end of the year. City leaders have said they are trying to protect underground utility lines, prevent potential drainage problems around proposed rail bridges, and ensure part of the corridor can still be used as a pedestrian and bicycle trail.

“All of us have the same goal,” Burroughs said. “It’s just a matter of trying to work through the technical details, the engineering details and the legal issues.”

Burroughs publicly broached the issue last week during a city-sponsored breakfast at Texas Woman’s University. In an interview, Burroughs said he wanted to tackle a misconception that rail service to Denton had been put off until 2012 or later.

The new goal of summer 2011 sounds reasonable, Burroughs said.

“We’re charting some new territory, so this type of a few months’ delay, to me, is always a risk in a project of this magnitude,” he said.

The route will follow the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad line. The city of Denton bought rights to eight miles of that corridor in 1993 and since 2001 has used it as a public walking and biking trail.

In late 2006, city leaders tentatively agreed to let DCTA build its rail line on the trail, which roughly parallels Interstate 35E from Denton to Corinth. In return, the transit authority agreed to build a new trail beside the rail line.

The city and DCTA have been working in earnest to complete that agreement since spring 2008, officials have said. City leaders say they’re being careful to protect their investments in the rail path, including a 30-inch raw water line, and address issues that arose after the 2006 agreement.

Talks also continue over the use of right of way DART owns on the project’s southern end, and over which entity ultimately will own the corridor.

Even though the entire commuter line won’t be completed by the end of 2010, DCTA is looking to open the three southern stations by that time, Leggett said.

“Everything will be built with the goal of getting to Denton by summer of 2011,” she said.

Staff writer Bj Lewis contributed to this report.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.