May 13, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

A presentation today by the North Central Texas Council of Governments outlined how a Dallas to Fort Worth High-Speed Rail Project is a critical piece for a future passenger rail tie-in to the I-35 and I-45 travel corridors in the state.

NCTCOG Senior Program Manager Dan Lamers said unless we plan a path forward for a high-speed rail line between Dallas-Fort Worth in the next five to ten years, we may lose the ability to acquire the land needed. 

Visuals were presented showing how the high-speed rail link would travel on or near the I-30 interstate between the two cities. The western stop of the proposed regional corridor would be at Fort Worth Central Station, which is presently served by Amtrak, Trinity Railway Express and TEXRail. The eastern end would wind it's way on the west side of downtown Dallas along current railroad tracks at Union Station and stop at a proposed high-speed rail station near the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Dallas is served by Amtrak, DART light rail and the Trinity Railway Express. 

Lamers said that 85-90 per cent of the line would be within public right of way. The downtown Dallas section would be elevated to match the height of the high-speed line between Houston to Dallas that has already received federal approvals. 

The intermediate Arlington and the Fort Worth station would be underground due to the tangle of highways and infrastructure at both locations making an above ground facility nearly impossible to construct. The Arlington stop is proposed near Baird Farm-Stadium Drive and the Fort Worth eastside downtown stop would be connected to Central Station. The final station determination will hinge on the federal environmental process, which just started in March. Final station approval is expected in early 2025.

According to NCTCOG information "With the recent funding award and acceptance by the Federal Railroad Administration into their Corridor Identification and Development program for intercity passenger rail around the nation, the Dallas to Fort Worth High-Speed Rail project is now positioned for potential federal funding support as planning activities continue.  Additionally, this project continues to gain momentum regionally as discussions on fine-tuning alignment locations occur prior to the environmental analysis and documentation phase of the project."

There has been a lot of international interest on the development of high-speed rail in Texas, according to NCTCOG's Lamers. 

The regional planning agency is advancing the NEPA (national environmental planning) process for this high-speed rail project, just like it does for highway programs and commuter rail projects. That helps allay the concern of domestic and foreign investors who see the economic benefit of high speed rail but can't estimate the costs and the length of time needed for the environmental process, which can run into several years and be very costly. "Let us take that process on as a region and then we can promote a project that has a cleared corridor for future interest", according to Brendon Wheeler of NCTCOG. 

More information on the Dallas-Fort Worth high speed rail connector can be found at https://www.nctcog.org/trans/plan/transit-management-and-planning/general-public-information/transit-planning-activities/transit-planning-projects/high-speed-rail/dfw-high-speed-transportation-connections-study

Photo credit: Texas Central / NCTCOG