October 5, 2017 - TRA Newswire -

Another key player, WSP USA,  joins Texas Central railroad as the company moves ahead on its pre-construction phase of the bullet train project to connect Houston to North Texas.

WSP will provide engineering support as the project moves ahead, joining Fluor and Lane, two other large construction and engineering firms recently named to perform pre-construction planning.  WSP has already staffed dozens of full-time personnel on the project to assist both companies.

According to Holly Reed, Managing Director of External Affairs for Texas Center, the company’s work will focus on engineering, cost estimating and scheduling. WSP USA, was formerly known as WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff with history in Texas dating back more than a hundred years. Reed said "this announcement reflects the continued progress of the Texas Bullet Train and further demonstrates the attention the project has received from world-class firms with such scale and experience".

Reed said "WSP has been a part of high-speed rail projects around the world and has been involved in significant infrastructure work in Dallas and Houston. Its history in Texas dates to 1886, when William Barclay Parsons served as chief engineer of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad. He co-founded the firm that became Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the largest American civil engineering firms".

Texas Central railroad expects to create 10,000 direct jobs each year during the construction phase. Texas Central plans to construct a 240-mile high-speed rail route from Houston to Dallas, making the run in just 90 minutes. The company has not asked for state or federal money for construction or operation of the trains.