Transportation
BY ANNA LOTZ
Texas Central, Amtrak exploring high-speed rail partnership
Texas Central and Amtrak ocials are exploring a partnership to potentially advance the 240-mile high-speed rail project proposed to connect Houston and Dallas, Amtrak ocials announced in an Aug. 9 news release. Texas Central announced the project in 2014, and ocials have delayed the anticipated timeline for operations many times from 2023 to 2026, according to prior reporting. However, construction has not yet begun on the route. Two-minute impact Amtrak’s announcement states the two entities are evaluating a partnership to further determine the project’s viability. “We believe many of the country’s biggest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas, like Houston and Dallas, deserve more high-quality high-speed, intercity rail service,” Andy Byford, Amtrak senior vice president of high-speed rail development programs, said in the release. Ocials said the project would: • Provide travelers a 90-minute route between Houston and Dallas spanning 240 miles • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100,000 tons per year and save 65 million gallons of fuel • Remove 12,500 cars per day from I-45 Development of the project has been quiet since the Texas Supreme Court issued a 5-3 ruling upholding Texas Central’s right to use eminent domain to construct its planned high-speed railroad in June 2022. In addition to stations in Houston and Dallas, the proposed route is also slated to include a station in the Brazos Valley along Hwy. 30, just
Texas Central’s proposed high-speed passenger rail will be modeled after Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains.
COURTESY TEXAS CENTRAL
west of Hwy. 90, according to Texas Central. With Amtrak’s potential involvement, Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in an Aug. 9 statement he is advocating for the proposed high- speed rail to extend from College Station to Austin, San Antonio and beyond. Zooming out Ocials said Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to federal programs for grant funds to study and design the project, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements grant program, the Corridor Identication and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program.
Texas Central hasn’t shared funding updates, but a 2018 memorandum of understanding with the Houston-Galveston Area Council stated Texas Central “will not seek federal or state funding for the deployment of their project.” “The potential partnership of these two companies will accelerate the planning and analysis necessary for the successful implementation of a modern, ecient and environmentally sustainable rail system connecting Houston and Dallas.” SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF HOUSTON
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