The Dallas City Council voted on Wednesday to award a contract worth more than a half million dollars to a consulting firm to study the potential economic impact of a proposed high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston, and a second line between Dallas and Fort Worth.
The nearly $567,000 contract was awarded to the Boston Consulting Group, and the study is anticipated to be completed in about three months. The results of the economic impact study will help city leaders determine whether the rail line would benefit the city.
Earlier this year, the Dallas City Council passed a resolution to oppose the rail plan calling for a seven-story-high rail line that would cut through the downtown area over concerns it might disrupt plans for the new convention center and other development projects in the area. Since then, planners have proposed an alternate route that would loop around Dallas instead of cutting through downtown.
Discussions about the high-speed rail line have been ongoing for years, but the project picked up momentum after Amtrack and Texas Central joined forces last year to collaborate on the plans.
In September, Amtrak received nearly $64 million in federal grant money to further the planning of the Dallas to Houston line, which is expected to cost about $30 billion in total. The Dallas-to-Fort Worth line is anticipated to cost about $6 billion.
The western rail line to Fort Worth is expected to decrease highway traffic between the two cities, even as the population of the metropolitan area continues to grow. The high-speed rail could travel between Fort Worth and Dallas, with a stop in between at Arlington, in about 30 minutes. The current Trinity Railway Express also connects Dallas and Fort Worth, but the trip takes about an hour.
The proposed high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston could shuttle passengers to their destination in as little as 90 minutes, as the train can reach speeds of over 200 mph.