DFW To Houston High-Speed Rail Plan Moving Forward
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes - it's a proposed high-speed rail line that's moving closer to reality.
Texas Central High-Speed Railway, a private company, along with the Federal Railroad Administration will conduct an environmental impact study of a high-speed rail line between the two major Texas cities.
A second environmental impact study will look at extending the high-speed rail line from Dallas to Fort Worth, with a stop in Arlington.
The estimated $2 Billion for the Dallas to Fort Worth section will likely come from federal funds, while Texas Central High-Speed Railway would pay for the line to Houston with no tax dollars.
"They have $10 Billion to build high-speed rail from downtown Dallas to downtown Houston," said Michael Morris, the North Central Texas Council of Governments Director of Transportation. "Our interest, of course, is we need to get all the way to Fort Worth."
Morris said federal funds could be secured for the project in the next couple years with completion of the project in 8 to10 years.
Morris said the private/public collaboration makes the project appealing for the U.S. Department of Transportation but added it's a massive undertaking.
"This is equivalent to building a DFW International Airport so there's a lot of work that has to go into it," said Morris. "It's not going to happen tomorrow."
Stephanie Kreiling, who commutes from Weatherford to Dallas nearly every day for work, said she can't wait for a high-speed rail line connecting Fort Worth and Dallas. The trip between the two cities would take 20 minutes.
"Where do I sign-up?" Kreiling asked. "It would give me back several hours that I lose per week commuting as far as I do."
But not everyone is on board.
Jason Allen of Dallas said he would rather drive himself. "I would rather see them put (the money) in roads, fix pot holes, expand our roads."
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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