...
By James Bickerton
News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
On Monday the North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) gave updates on an outline plan to construct a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth, though details about the project remain vague.
NCTCOG transportation planning manager Brendon Wheeler confirmed at a public meeting that the agency is trying to find an outside partner but admitted potential investors are concerned about how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process would affect their income.
High-speed rail, which is already established in parts of Asia and Western Europe, has received a major boost in the United States over the past few months.
Read More on U.S.
In April, construction began on a 218-mile line connecting Southern California to Las Vegas, Nevada. Both President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed support for a line connecting Dallas and Houston, which would be constructed around Japanese Shinkansen technology.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Wheeler said at Monday's meeting that the search for a commercial partner for the Dallas-Fort Worth line won't begin until the project gets NEPA clearance, which is forecast for early 2025.
"Especially for foreign investors that see the economic benefit of high-speed rail, they're very concerned with the NEPA process from a standpoint...It introduces risk into their pocketbook," Wheeler said.
"They don't know how long it's going to be, they don't know how much it's going to cost. [We said] let us take that on as a region, and then we can promote a project that has a cleared corridor."
Proposals for a new elevated station in Cedars, Dallas, have already been approved federally and are expected to be incorporated into any Dallas-Fort Worth high-speed line.
...
Underground stations are planned for Fort Worth and Arlington, but their locations have not been confirmed, which will have to be done before the project gets environmental signoff.
"What our project's intending to do is not just build or plan for a high-speed rail line from Fort Worth to Dallas," Wheeler said.
"It's intending to bring the fabric of our existing and planned transit systems around the region into a single point to create better access throughout the region."
Wheeler added the NCTCOG is currently "working through" issues with the project together with other impacted parties.
Newsweek reached out to the North Central Texas Council of Government by telephone and email on Tuesday.
Amtrak, America's national passenger railroad company, is leading the proposed Dallas-Houston high-speed rail line project in collaboration with Texas Centra, a local company.
Houston Public Media quoted Amtrack Senior Vice President Andy Byford as saying: "This is very much a project that Amtrak is now leading."
"I have to make sure that in any recommendation I give to my CEO and to my board, that it is a project that is worthwhile pursuing. And right now, having looked at the revenue forecasts and done our due diligence to date, I still think that is the case. That again, though, does not mean that it's a done deal," he said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg endorsed the plan in Fort Worth on April 7, saying, "We believe in this. Obviously, it has to turn into a more specific design and vision, but everything I've seen makes me very excited."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines