Houston-to-Dallas bullet train given green light from feds, company says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Good morning, Texas DUers. Hat tip, GreaterGreaterWashington

Sat Sep 26, 2020: Plans for high-speed rail move forward in two southern states

National links: Plans for high-speed rail move forward in two southern states

By Jeff Wood (Contributor) September 25, 2020

{snip}

North Carolina and Texas get the go ahead for high-speed rail plans: This week high-speed rail moved forward in North Carolina and Texas. The North Carolina Department of Transportation received a federal grant to purchase right of way for a passenger line that would run from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia. At the same time, a planned passenger line between Houston and Dallas received important approvals from the Federal Railroad Administration to move forward. (Richard Stradling | News and Observer & Dug Begley | Houston Chronicle)

{snip}

LOCAL // TRANSPORTATION

Houston-to-Dallas bullet train given green light from feds, company says

Dug Begley Sep. 21, 2020 Updated: Sep. 21, 2020 4:49 p.m.

Federal officials have issued final approvals to backers of a Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line, further clearing the way for construction of the proposed line, in a move all but certain to face ongoing challenges from opponents.

Texas Central Railroad, the company planning to operate trains from Houston to Dallas with a stop near College Station, said early Monday that the Federal Railroad Administration had issued both the Record of Decision that ends the environmental analysis and the Rule of Particular Applicability that governs the safety standards the Japanese-developed trains must use.

“This is the moment we have been working towards,” said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad.

{snip}

[e-mail]

Follow Dug on:
https://www.facebook.com/PoppedClutchCity/
https://twitter.com/dugbegley

Dug Begley is the transportation writer for the Houston Chronicle.

Past Articles from this Author:
TxDOT releases environmental analysis on I-45 rebuild, kicking off comment period
TxDOT leaves a tip for restaurant chain: Don’t mess with our trademark
High-speed Texas rail gets feds’ approval; San Antonio not included, but some see opportunity

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Why do slow-witted Texans need to travel fast?

I mean, what a waste of money.

[BigMin28]

2. Not all Texans

are slow-witted.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I know that, but I couldn't resist. Sorry for the stereotype /nt

[northoftheborder]

7. Don't characterize all Texans as slow witted.

This has been discussed for so long, I'll be long gone if ever gets built. There needs to be a triangle of fast trains in this large state: Dallas/Houston. Houston/San Antonio. San Antonio/Austin/Dallas.

[marble falls]

9. Gets cars off the roads?

[bucolic_frolic]

11. I remember bumper stickers

Drive 75 ... freeze a Yankee!

I guess it did keep us off the roads.

[Susan Calvin]

4. I'll believe it when I see it.

I've lost track of how many decades this has been talked about.

[efhmc]

5. I went to a imminent domain meeting about this several years back.

Lots of people there with lots of lawyers and lots of very interesting questions. The meeting was held in a mostly agriculture/ranching area outside of Houston. People's property was being divided in half with no way to get from one side to the other without going miles out of the way. It was also mentioned that the entry and exit areas in the two large cities would be in poor areas of town and while the owners of those properties would get paid for their land, the money given them would not pay for new housing. People wanting to sell their land because of retirement, and or other life change were stuck because no one wanted to buy land where there might ultimately be a fast rail going through the property. Things I had never thought about.

[Susan Calvin]

6. Yep, I remember that. nt

[Gothmog]

8. I would love to use this train

[marble falls]

10. Me, too. Don't go much to Dallas. But I'd sure use it if I did. Austin to San Antonio to Houston ...

I'd use that.

[TexasTowelie]

12. I meet you on-board then.

College Station to Dallas in an hour would work well for me. It might even be the fastest way for me to get to Austin if I caught the express bus after I get to Dallas. The current bus route takes about 7 hours due to the long layover in Waco.