A new high-speed rail station is coming to Dallas, with railways in the works that would connect the city to Fort Worth and Houston.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Amtrak is trying to develop a high-speed passenger railway between Dallas and Houston in coordination with Texas Central Railway. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the project federal taxpayer money in December.
City of Dallas assistant city manager Robert Perez and transportation director Michael Morris of the North Central Texas Council of Governments briefed the Dallas City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the project this week.
“High-speed rail was probably a pipe dream 20 years ago,” said Council Member Omar Narvaez (District 6), the chair of the committee.
“If it wasn’t for President Biden and [Transportation] Secretary Buttigieg, high-speed rail wouldn’t be even something that we’re thinking of right now because of the funding from the infrastructure act now putting Dallas’ station as the first and only station that’s been approved by the federal government,” he said.
With a potential Dallas-Houston railway in development, a new high-speed rail station for Dallas is also in the works. The station would serve as a hub to connect travelers to Houston, Fort Worth, and other major Texas cities via high-speed rail.
Amtrak is also considering a new rail line between Dallas and Atlanta, according to the briefing.
The new station would be located south of I-30, with a bridge connecting the station to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Morris said that Dallas would have “unique” advantages if the City could coordinate its various transportation and urban planning projects, including revitalizing Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, growing the city’s streetcar system, and building a new and expanded convention center.
“If, in fact, you can develop consensus around those assets … you’re on the heels of something that I don’t think exists in the United States,” he said.
Morris said these initiatives would make Dallas an even more desirable city for events like the FIFA World Cup.
“You can’t begin to quantify the maximum impact this may have,” he said. “This may be a game-changer for the city of Dallas.”
Morris added that another high-speed rail station in Arlington is also being considered to allow travelers more efficient access to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. However, the project has yet to be approved by the City of Arlington.
He said that high-speed rail within the metroplex connecting Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington would not be worth the investment if the Dallas-Houston line did not happen. However, he expressed confidence that the project would come through, as Amtrak is moving “full-speed ahead.”
Another update on the high-speed rail projects will be delivered to the entire Dallas City Council on March 6.
Some observers have expressed skepticism over the likelihood of the project ever getting completed.
“If there was the slightest possibility that a train a la Japan would be built at any point in the future [it’d] be for this,” wrote Josh Zenker on social media. “However, there is a 100% chance all this, and subsequent dollars, will be wasted on corruption and endless red tape lining the pockets of contractors and politicians, leaving the taxpayers with a 10-mile ditch after 20 years.”
Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) also previously spoke out against the project.
“Will do everything in my power to stop this boondoggle,” he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
