The Texas locomotive saga chugs along as the Houston to Dallas bullet train project receives an additional $64 million federal grant.
Last month, Amtrak received a $63.9 million federal grant to perpetuate the project for its 204-mph train running from Houston to Dallas, stopping in Brazos Valley. The grant was awarded amid the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration massive $153 million funding for Amtrak.
The purpose of the grant is to “initiate, restore, and enhance intercity passenger rail services” – the $63.9 million will go toward Amtrak’s operating costs.
The high-speed train from Houston to Dallas originally began under the leadership of the private company Texas Central Railway. Amtrak, however, is now leading the project.
“One of the first things Amtrak did in taking over the project was to undertake research to see [if] the demand is still there post-COVID that the same research indicated there was pre-COVID,” said Andy Byford, senior vice president and high-speed rail development head at Amtrak, during a 2024 Southwestern Rail Conference.
“The actual forecast, in terms of the projected ridership, is very strong and that’s important because that means you can then make a business case for the capital investment.”
The proposal for a 90-minute train running from Houston to Dallas traces a decade back to 2012, according to ABC13. After a series of issues consisting of leadership changes and land rights, however, the project seemed to have had derailed.
Last August however, negotiations between Texas Central Partners and Amtrak renewed the possibility for a potential partnership in advancement of the project.
“If we are going to add more high-speed rail to this country, the Dallas to Houston Corridor is a compelling proposition and offers great potential,” said Amtrak Senior Vice President of High-Speed Rail Development Programs Andy Byford in a press release.
“We believe many of the country’s biggest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas, like Houston and Dallas, deserve more high quality high-speed, intercity rail service and we are proud to bring our experience to evaluate this potential project and explore opportunities with Texas Central so the state can meet its full transportation needs.”
According to ABC13, officials initially estimated that the project would be completed in 2020. That initiative was of course drastically delayed until September 2020, when it garnered two major approvals. Since then, however, there’s been little word regarding the future of the project.
As to when the Houston-Dallas high-speed train is expected to begin, Amtrak’s Senior Vice President, Andy Byford stated in a Southwestern Regional Rail Conference that the company expects to launch construction in the early 2030s.
The proposal was to build a train modeled after Japanese Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system that would be filled with “first-class” features, that was capable of taking commuters from Houston to Dallas and vice versa in 90 minutes.
“This high-speed train, using advanced, proven Shinkansen technology, has the opportunity to revolutionize rail travel in the southern U.S., and we believe Amtrak could be the perfect partner to help us achieve that,” said Texas Central Chief Executive Officer Michael Bui.
Stay tuned for more details.