Amtrak has recently secured nearly $64 million in federal taxpayer money to advance the Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail project.
The $63.9 million grant, awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the Corridor Identification and Development Program, is intended to support the third and final step of the project development phase, which includes engineering plans and environmental studies for the rail, according to the FRA.
The high-speed rail project, first proposed in 2009, has progressed at a rather slow pace amid shifting leadership and much debate over its value.
John Sitilides, a federal affairs advisor with Reroute the Route, condemned the grant, labeling it a wasteful expenditure in light of the country’s growing debt. He highlighted concerns about the project’s financial viability and its potential negative impacts, including environmental effects the rail system might bring, The Texan reported.
Further complicating the project’s future, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) in Houston has recently proposed changes to the Inner Katy Project, which was initially planned to include a rapid transit bus lane connecting the high-speed rail station to downtown Houston.
Instead, METRO is considering high-occupancy vehicle lanes, with the option to build bus stations along the route later.
Despite the funding boost, these hurdles highlight the ongoing challenges for the Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail project.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the project received an extra $1.6 million in taxpayer money in August from the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.
The program allocates taxpayer funds to projects aimed at enhancing the quality and efficiency of public roads and transportation systems. This grant supplemented the initial $12 million already allocated for a study assessing the project similar to the goals associated with this recent nearly $64 million dollar boost.