Not Your Normal Kind Of Bullet In Texas

There are many great things about travel in Texas. The state has many farm-to-market roads, highways, and Interstates and excellent access to Airports worldwide. But we have one area that could help with travel options: train travel. There are a few Amtrak options, but the train routes are limited. Our roads are getting busier and busier with traffic, especially with so many people moving here.

According to CNBC, investors have been committed to bringing high-speed train service to Texas since 1987. In 2014, Texas Central's group launched the most recent and promising attempt. Their goal? To connect Dallas to Houston with a high-speed train that travels more than 200 miles per hour, shortening a three-and-a-half-hour drive to a 90-minute train ride. This is not just a dream; it's a project that's gaining momentum and could soon become a reality.

"You cannot do that in a car," said Andy Byford, senior vice president of high-speed rail programs at Amtrak. "You cannot do that if you fly if you factor in going to the airport, going through security, getting back in from the airport at the other end."

According to a March 2023 estimate, the project will cost at least $33.6 billion. Similar high-speed rail projects around the world, including Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen system, have faced substantial cost overruns in development. The route in Texas is designed to leverage N700 cars found on the Shinkansen system.

With a historic commitment of $66 billion towards passenger rail, the U.S. government has its best bet in generations to build high-speed rail systems. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Houston are the country's largest population centers and could use high-speed train travel for its future growth.