Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail project awarded $500,000 federal grant
December 8, 2023 - HoustonPublicMedia.org -
The long-envisioned initiative was one of seven high-speed rail projects across the country selected to receive grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration, which awarded a total of $8.2 billion to 79 rail projects that are in varying stages of development.
Amtrak has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant to further study and develop a proposed high-speed railway between Houston and Dallas, a long-envisioned plan that until earlier this year had appeared to have fizzled out.
Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company of the United States, announced in August it was exploring a partnership with Texas Central, the Dallas-based company that a decade ago hatched the idea of building a 240-mile railway that could transport passengers between the state's two largest cities in a matter of about 90 minutes.
The initiative is one of seven high-speed rail projects across the country that was awarded grant funding on Friday by the Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its new Corridor Identification and Development Program using resources allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021. A total of 68 other rail projects in 44 states were awarded the same grant, while 10 ready-to-construct railway projects were selected for grants through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program.