Texas Mayors Support High Speed Rail

“The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston this morning threw their support behind plans for a high-speed train route that could move Texans between the two metropolitan areas in 90 minutes,” reports Brandon Formby.

“Texas Central Railway wants to use the N700-I Bullet train system, which the Central Japan Railway Company uses on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka. That line handles more than 300 trains and more than 390,000 passengers a day.”

The key for a high-speed rail plan not becoming the political third rail it has been in say, California, the proposal would raise private funds to pay for the line. “Texas Central plans to raise private funds to build the line and operate the system.” As for next steps and some details about potential stops between the two metro areas, Formby reports that “[Texas Central] will soon begin a formal environmental study that will help it identify a preferred route and potential stops. While there could be stations along the way, the number will likely be minimal since any stop will lengthen overall travel time.”