By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Amtrak and Texas Central announced this week that they were “seeking opportunities” to work together to bring high-speed passenger rail to Texas. Texas Central has been working for a decade to build a high-speed rail line that would reach 205 miles per hour between Dallas and Houston, two of the country’s fastest-growing cities.
The proposed 240-mile route would offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between two of the top five major U.S. metropolitan areas and would complement future, new and improved corridor and long-distance service in the southern region, officials said in a press release.
“If we are going to add more high-speed rail to this country, the Dallas to Houston Corridor is a compelling proposition and offers great potential,” said Amtrak Senior Vice President of High-Speed Rail Development Programs Andy Byford. “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 and we are proud to bring our experience to evaluate this potential project and explore opportunities with Texas Central so the state can meet its full transportation needs.”
Amtrak has partnered with Texas Central in the past, specifically back in 2016, when the Texas company agreed to use the passenger railroad’s ticketing system. This week’s announcement was sparse on details about exactly how the two would work together and if Amtrak would be operating the service once it starts. The train is expected to use high-speed technology developed in Japan.
Texas Central and Amtrak recently submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with the study and design work for the high-speed line between Dallas and Houston, specifically through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program.
“This high-speed train, using advanced, proven Shinkansen technology, has the opportunity to revolutionize rail travel in the southern U.S., and we believe Amtrak could be the perfect partner to help us achieve that,” said Texas Central Chief Executive Officer Michael Bui. “We appreciate Amtrak’s continued collaboration and look forward to continuing to explore how we can partner in the development of this important project.”
