AMTRAK AND TEXAS CENTRAL POTENTIALLY REVIVING HIGH SPEED RAIL
Amtrak along with Texas Central Partners could soon be reviving the controversial Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project.
Amtrak issued a press release on Wednesday that said that they have cooperated with Texas Central on various projects since 2016 and that the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project, which has been dormant for several years.
The proposed project would see the high-speed rail run an approximately 240-mile route from Houston to Dallas at a speed of 205 miles per hour. Those involved claim that the high-speed rail would reduce the travel time between the two cities down to just 90 minutes.
Amtrak says the project would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 100,000 tons per year, save 65 million gallons of fuel, and remove an estimated 12,500 cars per day from I-45.
Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with further study and design work.
Both Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner have both thrown their support behind the project, which would bring numerous construction jobs to both cities.
One group that opposes the project is Texans Against High-Speed Rail. They posted a message on social media encouraging everyone to call their state and local representatives and tell them to oppose it.
Waller County Judge Trey Duhon, who is also the group’s president, said that they knew there was no way the rail could be privately financed, and the fear was that taxpayer dollars would be involved at some point.
John Sitilides, who serves as the Federal Affairs Advisor for a coalition called Reroute the Route, also condemned the project’s potential revival.
In a statement posted to social media, he brought up concerns over severe public hazards, private property rights abuses, adverse minority community impacts, weakened flood control, and significant environmental damage.