July 22, 2023 - TRA Newswire -

The city of Dallas has issued a letter of support to Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, favoring current plans to reintroduce intercity passenger rail service from Dallas to Atlanta.

The letter also offers full support for the Texas Department of Transportation's submission to the FRA of three high-traffic corridors in the state and for extension of passenger rail service of the Heartland Flyer north to Kansas.

Here is the text of the letter:

"Dear Administrator Bose:  We are pleased to offer our full support for the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TXDOT) three Corridor Identification and Development Program applications to improve intercity passenger rail between major Texas cities. We are also fully supportive of plans to reintroduce intercity passenger rail service along the I-20 corridor between Dallas and Atlanta, and of plans to increase and extend service on the Heartland Flyer. Texas cities are leading the nation in growth, and it is a simple fact that the highways and airports connecting them cannot keep up."

The letter to the head of the FRA continues: "We are excited about Amtrak’s 2021 Corridor Vision Plan to finally give our nation the robust intercity passenger rail service long enjoyed by travelers in other countries. The subtitle of the Corridor Vision Plan outlines exactly what Texas and our nation need: More Trains. More Cities. Better Service. We are especially excited that the Texas Triangle is such a prominent part of that plan. We believe that Amtrak’s 2021 Corridor Vision Plan will not only provide an attractive and convenient option for travel between Texas cities in the near term, but that it will also lay the foundation for future service expansion and improvements."

"We are therefore pleased that TXDOT is leveraging Amtrak’s vision for the Texas Triangle and the generational opportunity for intercity passenger rail provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and we urge you to give TXDOT’s three Corridor Identification and Development Program grant applications all due consideration. Thank you for your attention to our priorities and for the work of you and your team to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Please let us know how we and the City of Dallas can help bring Amtrak and TXDOT’s vision for improved intercity passenger rail service in Texas to fruition."

The letter to Administrator Bose was signed by Tennell Atkins Mayor Pro Tem Dallas City Council District 8 and Omar Narvaez Immediate Past Chair, Dallas City Council Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Dallas City Council District 6. The letter was also sent to members of the Dallas Congressional Delegation.