195 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Quartz,  8/10/23:

 

 

   Amtrak is feeling ambitious about Texas: Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes  

 

 

US passenger railroad Amtrak is breathing new life into private high-speed train maker Texas Central Partners’ dreams to launch a Dallas-Houston line. The ambitious plan of connecting two of the five largest US metropolitan areas, which has been a decade in the making, proposes a 240-mile (380 kilometer) route that would be covered in under 90 minutes one way.

 

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[CNJRoss]

Railway Age, 8/9/23

 

Commentary

  Texas Central: Amtrak to the Rescue?

 

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief

 

I did a double take when an Amtrak press release with this headline hit my inbox: “Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities between Dallas and Houston.” Come again? A lot of people, yours truly included, thought this project died deep in the heart of Texas, probably on Calvin House’s dude ranch.

 

Texas Central Partners and Amtrak say they “are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 200-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.” They’ve submitted applications to several federal programs “in connection with further study and design work for the potential Dallas to Houston segment, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) Corridor Identification and Development (CID), and Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant programs.”

 

If this works, it means that the project, subject of an 11-part series “Is Texas Central Really a Railroad?” by Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan, will progress from being privately funded (which was never going to happen, because passenger rail projects globally just don’t get built that way—let’s not kid ourselves), to federally funded, which is how it should work and will work if the government ever eradicates the highway/airline mindset disease that has infected transportation since the 1950s. I’m not holding my breath.

 

 

Continue here.  

[CNJRoss]

Amtrak press release

August 9, 2023

Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities between Dallas and Houston

WASHINGTON – Texas Central Partners (“Texas Central”) and Amtrak are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 205-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.

 

“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 and we are proud to bring our experience to evaluate this potential project and explore opportunities with Texas Central so the state can meet its full transportation needs.”

 

The proposed approximately 240-mile route would offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between two of the top five major U.S. metropolitan areas and would complement future, new and improved corridor and long-distance service in the southern region.

 

Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with further study and design work for the potential Dallas to Houston segment, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program.

 

Amtrak has worked with Texas Central since 2016 when it entered into agreements to provide through-ticketing using the Amtrak reservation system and other support services for the planned high-speed rail line.

 

“This high-speed train, using advanced, proven Shinkansen technology, has the opportunity to revolutionize rail travel in the southern U.S., and we believe Amtrak could be the perfect partner to help us achieve that,” said Texas Central Chief Executive Officer Michael Bui. “We appreciate Amtrak’s continued collaboration and look forward to continuing to explore how we can partner in the development of this important project.”

 

High-speed rail service with mostly-dedicated and purpose-built rights of way can radically shrink trip times, achieve excellent reliability and provide significant capacity – all things that will drive ridership and help convince people to shift their trips to rail. When complete, this project is forecast to provide significant social, environmental, employment and economic benefits to the people of Texas. As an example, the project is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 100,000 tons per year, saving 65 million gallons of fuel while removing 12,500 cars per day from I-45.

 

“Dallas is the engine of the fourth largest and fastest growing region in the nation,” Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson said. “It is bold, innovative endeavors like this that will propel Dallas toward an even more prosperous future. A high-speed rail line would revolutionize transportation in our region, serve as a catalyst for economic growth, and enhance connectivity among Texas residents and businesses.”

 

“The collaboration between Texas Central and Amtrak is an important milestone for the City of Houston and this project,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston. “Our city is committed to advancing transportation initiatives that support economic growth and enhance quality of life for our residents. The potential partnership of these two companies will accelerate the planning and analysis necessary for the successful implementation of a modern, efficient, and environmentally sustainable rail system connecting Houston and Dallas. I commend all parties involved for their dedication to this transformative project.”

 

Construction and operations of the proposed high-speed rail line would bring significant economic benefits to the region, including thousands of well-paying construction jobs and nearly one thousand long-term, skilled operations and maintenance positions.

 

“The Ironworkers strongly support the Dallas-to-Houston high speed rail project,” said Jerry Wilson, Iron Workers District Council of Texas and the Mid South States. “Not only is it safe and green, but it will provide hundreds of highly skilled, good paying jobs for our members as we transport, erect and install the infrastructure.”

 

Byford joined Amtrak in April 2023 to begin developing a team focused on high-speed opportunities throughout the US. In his newly created role, he will develop and lead the execution of Amtrak’s long-term strategy for high-speed rail throughout the country.

 

In addition to current Amtrak service in Texas and planned station improvements, Amtrak submitted grant applications for daily Sunset Limited service and the extension of the Crescent from Mississippi through Louisiana and Texas. Amtrak supports Kansas DOT’s Heartland Flyer Extension Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) application that will connect Wichita and communities across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to the Amtrak network. Amtrak also supports Texas DOT’s applications for the Texas Triangle (Dallas – Fort Worth – Houston – San Antonio) routes.

 

 

[CNJRoss]

The Texan, 8/10/23

 

Amtrak Announces Effort to Revive Dallas-to-Houston High Speed Rail Project

 

Email communications show that the partnership has been in the works for a while but was hidden from the public.

 

Texas Central and Amtrak have announced that they are working together to reinvigorate the proposed high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston.

 

“The two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project,” the Amtrak press release stated.

 

Emails from May 2023 acquired through an open records request and provided to The Texan show that persons involved with the potential partnership between Amtrak and Texas Central were trying to keep it under wraps.

 

“We’ve kept the Amtrak-Texas Central relationship out of the public eye, but, as discussed, it’s getting to be the worst-kept secret in passenger rail,” lobbyist Chris Brady wrote to the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). Brady is the principal at lobbyist firm Commonwealth Research Associates and is the vice president of federal affairs for Texas Central.

 

Reacting to the secrecy surrounding the Amtrak-Texas Central partnership, Judge Trey Duhon, president of the Texans Against High-Speed Rail said, “We’ve known this partnership was in the works only because of open records requests, but everyone involved was unwilling to provide us with more information, despite our counties being directly impacted by their project. Additionally, Amtrak has refused to give information to any elected official who inquired. We are directly impacted and intentionally being kept out of the loop. This is unacceptable, and we will not allow this to continue.”

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

I thought that the partnership existed several years ago whereby Amtrak was going to handle Texas Central's ticketing, such that the Dallas-Houston service would have become a part of Amtrak's system as far as through service from the rest of the country.

[KevinKorell]

texasGOPvote.com,  8/14/23:

 

 

   Congressman Ellzey and Representative Cody Harris Statement on Amtrak and Texas Central    

 

 

Congressman Jake Ellzey and State Representative Cody Harris released the following statement after Amtrak and Texas Central announced that they would evaluate a potential partnership to further study the Texas high-speed rail project.

 

 

Statement

[CNJRoss]

The Texas Central High-Speed RAILWAY Plan - UPDATE!

 

US Railway

 

Sep 8, 2023

The Texas Central High-Speed RAILWAY Plan - UPDATE! In the heart of Texas, a grand vision that simmered on the back burner for a decade is showing signs of renewed life – the dream of a high-speed bullet train connecting the state's largest cities, Houston and Dallas, may finally be back on track.

 

Amtrak, the renowned U.S. national passenger railroad company, and Texas Central, the Dallas-based firm behind this audacious project, have made a joint announcement that's sent waves of excitement through the Lone Star State. Their aim? To explore a potential partnership that could lead to the construction of a 240-mile high-speed railway, cutting the travel time between Houston and Dallas to a mere 90 minutes.

 

[KevinKorell]

Dallas, TX Express,  12/14/23:

 

 

     Amtrak To Explore Possible Dallas-Houston Train  

 

 

Amtrak and its partners will receive more than $2.1 million in federal grants to expand and improve its services throughout the country, including the possibility of developing a high-speed train from Dallas to Houston, the Federal Railroad Administration announced this week.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

CNBC, 3/11/24:
 

 

    Why Amtrak is attempting to revive the Texas Central bullet train   

The U.S., despite decades of research and studies, remains without authentic high-speed rail options.

Since 1987, investors have attempted to introduce bullet train service to Texas. In 2014, a group organized under the name Texas Central launched the most recent attempt to connect Dallas to Houston with a bullet train that travels more than 200 miles per hour, shortening a three and a half hour drive to a 90-minute train ride.

Story

[KevinKorell]

KBTX-TV, Channel 3 in Bryan, TX, 3/11/24:

 

 

  Dallas city leaders receive updates on proposed Houston-Dallas-Ft. Worth high-speed rail project    

 

 

Amtrak says they’re continuing to explore the path forward as they look to connect the cities of Houston and Dallas, and potentially Fort Worth.

 

Entire story