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Looks like Texas is the next place in America to attempt to create high speed rail service. This one would connect Dallas and Houston.
High-Speed Railway Progresses Towards 200-mph Dallas-Houston Line
I get the desire for high speed rail. In a perfect world, it would be fantastic. Most countries that use it are smaller and major cities are closer together so it works better in some places. A national high speed service would make zero sense for the expense and even on a smaller scale it's quite expensive. I believe this line is currently projected at $33B.
I believe California has tried this and failed, but it's also California. It will be interesting to see where this goes and if it's ever actually completed.
If there is a state that can pull it off correctly, it may be Texas. But I still wonder how expensive travel would be and how much the government will have to subsidize it.
High-Speed Railway Progresses Towards 200-mph Dallas-Houston Line
High-speed rail is a standard form of transport in places like Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, and Switzerland, but with any luck at all, it should be coming to the Lone Star State before long.
Texas Central has progressed through the planning stage and settled landowning disputes regarding a high-speed railway line from Dallas to Houston, which usually requires a 2-hour flight, a 4-hour drive, or a 5-hour bus ride.
However, at 200 miles per hour, the projected time would be a mere 90 minutes, departing every half hour during peak times and every hour off-peak.
“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.”
The project isn’t a given yet, but after years of what Engineering News Record called “financial setbacks, leadership issues, and legal woes,” it is moving forward again with plans for 50% of the 236 miles of rails to be on viaducts to help ease landowners’ concerns; although the Texas Supreme Court has already determined that Texas Central has eminent domain authority regarding their proposed route.
Texas Central has progressed through the planning stage and settled landowning disputes regarding a high-speed railway line from Dallas to Houston, which usually requires a 2-hour flight, a 4-hour drive, or a 5-hour bus ride.
However, at 200 miles per hour, the projected time would be a mere 90 minutes, departing every half hour during peak times and every hour off-peak.
“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.”
The project isn’t a given yet, but after years of what Engineering News Record called “financial setbacks, leadership issues, and legal woes,” it is moving forward again with plans for 50% of the 236 miles of rails to be on viaducts to help ease landowners’ concerns; although the Texas Supreme Court has already determined that Texas Central has eminent domain authority regarding their proposed route.
I believe California has tried this and failed, but it's also California. It will be interesting to see where this goes and if it's ever actually completed.
If there is a state that can pull it off correctly, it may be Texas. But I still wonder how expensive travel would be and how much the government will have to subsidize it.