Officials One Step Closer to Selecting Houston Depot for High-Speed Rail
The Federal Railroad Administration has narrowed the list of options for the Houston depot of the planned high-speed rail from Dallas to Houston.
Officials have eliminated both possible options that would have led the track to a depot in the CBD due to concerns over possible environmental damage in densely populated areas. The intersection of Highway 290 and Loop 610 appears to be the most likely contender for Houston’s depot, with the route likely ending around Northwest Mall, the Dallas Business Journal reports.
Construction on the line is slated to begin in 2017, with the first trains estimated to be running by 2021. The trains will travel at speeds of 205 mph and be able to transport passengers from Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes, with the capacity to make 68 trips a day between the two cities. Texas Central Partners, the company behind the project, estimates the high-speed rail could have $36B of potential economic benefits by 2040. [DBJ]
