High-Speed Rail to Partner with Amtrak in Texas

"Passengers on the proposed Texas bullet train would have access to connections with Amtrak's national routes as part a new agreement between the national train service and Texas Central," reports Ileana Najarro.

According to a press release on the deal from Texas Central, the ticketing partnership is designed to "attract, assist and serve passengers on the 200 mph North Texas-to-Houston line." As noted by Najarro, Amtrak has not connected Dallas and Houston since 1995.

In a separate article on the partnership, Dianna Wray writes that the deal "is a pretty remarkable get for Texas Central, since it will help tie the line—the Japanese Shinkansen N700 bullet train is not designed to hook up with any other type of track directly—into the fabric of public transportation by allowing its passengers to go from the bullet train to Amtrak trains the same way that Greyhound and United Airlines both partner with the national rail service right now."

The Federal Railroad Administration is still working on a final environmental study of the 240-mile Texas Central route.