High-Speed Rail back on track

WASHINGTON – On Friday, the Biden administration announced the selection of 69 rail corridors across 44 states that will each get $500,000 for planning and development.

One of those corridors is the route between Dallas and Houston. 

The corridor’s sponsor is Amtrak, which announced in August it is partnering with Texas Central, the company behind a beleaguered proposal to run a bullet train between the two cities.

The proposed bullet train has been in the works for years as Texas Central has faced tax troubles and the departure of its CEO.

Opponents on Friday quickly noted the project’s price tag has been estimated in the tens of billions and predicted large sums of additional government money would be required if it were to move forward.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments also was selected Friday to develop a high-speed rail corridor between Fort Worth and Dallas.

The awards are intended to develop “a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing, completing, or documenting its service development plan.” 

If that sounds super-preliminary, it is.

“We’re creating a pipeline for promising intercity passenger rail projects to get them ready for future investment,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters. 

“And we’ll continue working with railroads, state governments and others to bring those projects to fruition.” 

The planning awards came alongside $8.2 billion for rail projects across the country. It all stems from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which created the Corridor Identification and Development Program.

Federal officials described that program as benefiting projects in early stages of development. They cited the Houston-Dallas corridor as one that has plenty of work ahead, although they noted an environmental impact analysis has already been conducted.

Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, hailed the high-speed rail funding, along with the selection of a conventional passenger rail corridor along Interstate 20 connecting Dallas to Meridian, Miss.

Allred has highlighted his support for the infrastructure law and for bringing rail funding to Texas.

“Bringing home the resources and investments we need to grow our economy and create jobs will always be a priority of mine in Congress,” Allred said in a statement. “These rail services will do just that as well as offer new transportation options, promote tourism and reduce traffic on already congested highways.” 

Allred is seeking his party’s nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who voted against the infrastructure law. Cruz criticized the measure at the time as too much “reckless federal spending.” 

While Friday’s news was encouraging to backers of the high-speed rail proposals, opponents sought to pour cold water on it.

Waller County Judge Trey Duhon is president of Texans Against High-Speed Rail, a group of property owners, business owners and elected officials concerned about the project’s use of eminent domain.

Duhon said he had assumed federal money would follow the announcement of the partnership between Amtrak and Texas Central.

His group intends to share their concerns about the project with Amtrak. For example, he said the environmental assessment that was conducted is now outdated given ongoing development and inflation has rendered any financial projections moot.

“The money awarded is a pittance compared with what’s required to build such a project,” Duhon said.

“It doesn’t mean that these corridors are going to happen. They’re just going to continue to look into the viability of these projects.”