Mayor Mattie Parker | City of Fort Worth website
Mayor Mattie Parker | City of Fort Worth website
High-speed rail from Fort Worth to Houston took another step forward this month when the federal government announced the project has been included in the Corridor Identification and Development Program.
Why it matters: Up to $1 million in additional planning funds will be provided for proposed high-speed rail service along the corridor, the Biden-Harris administration said.
Project details: The North Central Texas Council of Governments submitted the Fort Worth-to-Houston project (via Dallas), and Amtrak submitted a separate application for the Dallas-to-Houston line; both applications propose using the corridor that Texas Central received a Record of Decision on from the Federal Railroad Administration between Dallas and Houston. These were among seven high-speed rail projects nationwide awarded planning funding as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program.
NCTCOG has been planning the North Texas line, which would run along I-30 from Fort Worth to Dallas, with a stop in Arlington, and connect to the Dallas-to-Houston project. Through the Dallas-Fort Worth High-Speed Transportation Connections Study, NCTCOG examined 43 potential alignments, with high-speed rail along the IH 30 emerging as the preferred method to connect people seamlessly from throughout the region to the planned Dallas-to-Houston route via a one-seat ride
What’s next? The DFW High-Speed Transportation Connections Study is set to move into a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, focusing on route alignment, possible station locations and potential social and environmental impacts.
NCTCOG is working with the Federal Transit Administration on final steps before the Dallas-Fort Worth corridor can advance to the formal NEPA process.Positioned for future funding: In addition to the planning funds, inclusion in the Corridor ID Program is considered an acknowledgement of the need to advance project development and explore partnership opportunities as well as positioning the project for future federal funding to support design and construction.
The Corridor ID Program is intended to help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and create a pipeline of passenger rail projects ready for implementation, according to the White House.
Original source can be found here.
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