More passenger rail projects are on the horizon in North Texas and across the state as federal officials announced new funding on Friday.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is awarding a $500,000 grant for the proposed I-20 Corridor Long-Distance Passenger Rail Project. The project, sponsored by the Southern Rail Commission, would connect North Texas to cities across the South going east all the way to Atlanta.
The announcement was part of this year's round of FRA grants that include another $500,000 for the much anticipated Fort Worth-Dallas to Houston bullet train sponsored by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Overall, $2 million in grants were awarded for proposed projects in Texas.
The funding is welcome news for rail advocates like Peter LeCody, who said rapidly growing metro areas — and smaller Texas cities — need more transportation options.
"Today was like turning on a fire hose with these rail grants," said LeCody, who's president of Texas Rail Advocates. "Never seen anything like this."
Efforts to bring more accessible rail service to North Texas have been a topic of discussion for several years. Amtrak announced in August that it's exploring a partnership with Texas Central, the project's developer, to study the potential for the Fort Worth-Dallas to Houston bullet train.
“Bringing home the resources and investments we need to grow our economy and create jobs will always be a priority of mine in Congress," Dallas-area Democratic Congressman Colin Allred said in a statement announcing the grant funding on Friday. "These rail services will do just that as well as offer new transportation options, promote tourism and reduce traffic on already congested highways.”
The I-20 corridor project would connect the existing Texas Eagle service from Dallas and Fort Worth to several cities in East Texas including Longview and Marshall, and extend across north Louisiana all the way to Meridian, Mississippi. From there, passengers could transfer to Amtrak's Crescent passenger train that goes to the Atlanta metro area.
"We've had the mentality for decades about roads and building roads and more roads and more highways and more expressways," LeCody said. "I think we're at the point now, is it going to be more lanes or more trains?"
Grant funding comes from the FRA's Corridor Identification and Development Program, which Allred advocated for as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.
LeCody said the grant funding is just the first step to get the projects on track — then it would up to the state legislature and TXDoT to make sure they happen. The new funding will help develop a scope, schedule and cost estimate for each project.
Allred calls the awards "a huge win for Texas" that will
"help folks get around better and further connect our region to growing economic opportunities across the South."
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