NTX Magazine Volume 4 | Page 40

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Transportation

could be moving passengers by 2020. The
region’s relatively flat geography and far distance
between the two cities are ideal for this kind of
rail development. To identify the ideal path for
a high-speed rail line, the company studied 97
city pairs before choosing the Dallas and Houston
corridor. Environmental impact studies are
currently underway, led by the Federal Railroad
Administration and the Texas Department of
Transportation. Once construction has officially
started, the project will take approximately four
years to complete.
In Japan today, this fifth-generation high-speed
rail technology operates daily, moving thousands

“ Not only will high-speed
rail significantly reduce
travel times and traffic
congestion for Dallas
and Houston area
residents, but it will also
create new, high-paying
jobs and stimulate
economic growth.”
–Hon. Mike Rawlings, Dallas Mayor

and more efficient than automobile
emissions from separate travelers.
Earlier this year, the mayors of
Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth
announced their public support for
the Texas high-speed rail project,
praising the company for providing
a faster alternative and tackling
growing traffic concerns. This would
be faster than any train operating in
the U.S.
“This innovative project is a
game changer for transportation
between the two engines that drive

around the country with a proven safety record
of zero accident-related fatalities. TCR plans to
deploy an updated version of the N700 bullet
train that will reach a maximum speed of 205
mph with an annual average delay of less than
one minute.
Careful attention is being paid toward
conservation in the planning of this new
transportation option. Land conservation is
considered in the planning process. Texas Central
Railway will have its own dedicated tracks along
existing rights-of-way in order to minimize the
need to acquire additional land. The bullet train
is also considered a more “green” travel option,
with the train emitting only a fraction of the
carbon dioxide emissions of a Boeing 737 plane

job creation throughout Texas,” Dallas Mayor
Mike Rawlings said. “Not only will high-speed
rail significantly reduce travel times and traffic
congestion for Dallas and Houston area residents,
but it will also create new, high-paying jobs and
stimulate economic growth.”
Other Texas cities, including Austin and San
Antonio, are working with the U.S. Department
of Transportation to plan their own connections
to what can become the nation’s first high-speed
rail network.
“Texas will be the leader in this new American
industry,” Eckels said. “Two of America’s urban
economic powerhouses will have a new safe, fast
and reliable connection to help secure Texas’s
long-term prosperity.”

Houston
cityscape.

©iStock.com/Davel5957

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Winter/Spring 2015