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The idea to construct a high-speed railway between Houston and Dallas, which in recent years appeared to have stalled out, seems to be gaining momentum.
President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a list of political understandings released by the White House on Monday, expressed their support for the initiative, which would utilize Japan's Shinkansen technology to transport travelers between Texas' two largest cities in a matter of about 90 minutes.
And an executive for Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company of the United States, reiterated Tuesday at a railway conference in the Dallas area that it supports the multi-billion-dollar plan and continues to work toward developing it. Amtrak had previously announced it was exploring a partnership with Texas Central, the Dallas-based company that hatched the bullet train idea a decade ago, and Amtrak received a $500,000 federal grant in December to further study the proposal.
"This is very much a project that Amtrak is now leading," said senior vice president Andy Byford, who heads Amtrak's high-speed rail development program. "I have to make sure that in any recommendation I give to my CEO and to my board, that it is a project that is worthwhile pursuing. And right now, having looked at the revenue forecasts and done our due diligence to date, I still think that is the case. That again, though, does not mean that it's a done deal."
The plan is to construct a 240-mile high-speed railway with one stop in between Houston and Dallas, and Texas Central cleared several key hurdles before longtime CEO Carlos Aguilar resigned in 2022 after land acquisitions and fundraising had slowed. The company secured federal approval for the proposed route and the high-speed technology to be used, and the Texas Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Texas Central had the legal authority to acquire land through eminent domain.
Byford said about 30% of the land needed has been secured for the project, which he estimated will cost at least $30 billion. Further land acquisition amidst opposition by some rural property owners along the route, broad political support and a mix of private and public funding sources will be required to see the bullet train initiative to fruition, according to Byford, who said Amtrak officials view the Houston-to-Dallas connection as one of the most viable high-speed railways in the U.S. because of the size of their population bases, the distance between them and the relatively flat topography between them.
He also said there is a lack of attractive transportation options between Houston and Dallas, with both Interstate 45 and the region's airports expected to become more and more congested. It takes 3-4 hours to travel between the cities by car or truck.
"I think this goes beyond just Dallas to Houston, I think as a nation," Byford said. "The alternative is to condemn Americans to ever more crowded interstates, to condemn taxpayers to just paying for ever-widening of highways, and potentially using ever more crowded airports. Surely now is the time to look at, ‘There is an alternative.' It is a proven alternative. It is a system that is safely used in just about every other developed country of the world, except for the U.S."
The office of new Houston Mayor John Whitmire did not immediately respond to a Wednesday request for comment about whether he supports the high-speed rail proposal, which had the backing of his predecessor, Sylvester Turner, as well as Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. The idea also is supported by the Greater Houston Partnership, which serves as a chamber of commerce and economic development organization.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism both "welcomed Amtrak's leadership" of the project and the utilization of Shinkansen technology, according to the White House's list of political understandings between Biden and Kishida, who met last week in Washington D.C.
"The successful completion of development efforts and other requirements would position the project for potential future funding and financing opportunities," the White House said.
Byford said Amtrak plans to spend the next 18 months or so further exploring the high-speed railway and how to pay for it, adding that support from the Texas Legislature would be beneficial. And he acknowledged that there are opponents to the plan, such as the nonprofit organization Texans Against High-Speed Rail, which did not immediately respond to a Wednesday email seeking comment.
Texans Against High-Speed Rail wrote in a Monday post on Facebook that there is "still a lot for the Biden Administration to understand about this project before committing our tax dollars to what was to be a ‘private' project. We are working daily to ensure the right people in key positions know and understand the significant issues this project faces."
Addressing concerns about the Houston terminus being slated for the former Northwest Mall site at the convergence of U.S. 290, Loop 610 and Interstate 10 – as opposed to a downtown location – Byford said the more outlying site was selected because of logistical reasons and also because ridership is projected to be higher there. He also spoke to why people who don't plan to ride a bullet train from one city to the other, or don't want their tax dollars going toward the project, might still benefit from it and see value in it.
"There'll be 12,500 fewer cars on the I-45 once this thing opens, so I would argue that there's benefit for you," Byford said. "If you are, for example, an airline and you might argue what's in it for you, well, you can free up gates slots and planes to operate much more revenue-generating medium-to-long-haul routes than what is typically not very profitable, short-haul routes.
"And even if you're say, for example, a resident of Central Texas who might think, ‘Well, I don't go to Dallas, and I don't go to Houston, so what's in it for me?' Well, if our forecasting is correct, and the ridership is what we predict it will be, which is very healthy levels of ridership and a very healthy return. ... Those are riches that can be disseminated throughout the whole state, so I think there's something in it for everyone."