Texas DOT to Explore Passenger Rail

A $2.5 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will fund five studies on passenger rail in Texas, raising new hopes for reviving service on the long-dormant Dallas-to-Houston corridor. The Texas Eagle once ran on the rails connecting the two cities, but was discontinued due to low ridership, writes Megan Kimble in Texas Monthly.

As Kimble explains, “TxDOT applied for three passenger rail studies that would connect the so-called Texas Triangle, encompassing Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Two of the three corridors were funded, one to restore service between Dallas and Houston and another to expand service between Houston and San Antonio along an existing Amtrak line.”

The region accounts for almost 90 percent of Texas’ population growth over the last 10 years, Kimble points out. “In its grant application, the agency acknowledged that Texas highways are among the most congested in the nation and that adding passenger rail would alleviate road congestion, improve safety, and reduce emissions.”

The department’s application is significant in part because it signals a new willingness to consider passenger rail as part of its future strategy. Earlier this year, Amtrak announced it is ‘exploring’ a partnership to revive a Central Texas high-speed rail (HSR) plan. However, Kimble writes that conventional rail could be “more politically palatable in the Texas Legislature,” would cost less than HSR, and could serve more stops.