Dallas city leaders are asking hard questions about plans to connect Fort Worth to Dallas with a high-speed rail line while showing cautious optimism about a bullet train to Houston.
Council members heard directly from Andy Byford, vice president of high-speed rail at Amtrak and prominent rail expert, for the first time on Wednesday about the proposed bullet train two months after the council learned about plans for the high-speed rail hub.
Byford presented a more detailed vision of what a more connected Dallas could look like that includes an elevated 70-foot station in the Cedars district south of downtown Dallas, which has already been federally approved.
"Now is the golden opportunity," said Byford. “I think if the US, which really is an outlier in countries around the world now, where high speed rail hasn't really been embraced to date … now is the time to cross that nettle."
Byford touted the virtually spotless safety record of the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, which is what the Houston line would be based on. He shared a timeline of the proposed project that has growing public support, including from rail advocates.
The proposed line was awarded some grant funding in December from the Federal Railroad Administration but has not yet secured a right of way. Byford added that the the Houston line could ultimately cost over $30 billion to complete.
Michael Morris, transportation director with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told council members the agency received notification on Monday that the project is now in the environmental impact process. He said if the Federal Transit Administration clears it, his agency could begin pursuing funding in a year.
"This is something that if we are the epicenter of high speed rail for the entire United States, this can take Dallas into a trajectory... that I can't even imagine," said District 6 council member Omar Narvaez, who chairs the transportation and infrastructure committee.
But not all council members were as enthusiastic about the Fort Worth rail, which would include a stop in Arlington.
"This is a very exciting project, across the board, really, for the entire state to be honest," said District 3 council member Zarin D. Gracey. "But I don't want to make a decision based on excitement."
District 14 council member Paul Ridley referenced a 2017 study from the Federal Railroad Administration that looked at the cost and practicality of the Fort Worth to Dallas alignment.
“It would cost $12 billion and it would save only 30 seconds as compared to the Trinity Railway Express,” said Ridley. “That to me does not justify the I-30 corridor.”
District 10 council member Kathy Stewart also asked about the Dallas elevated station’s impact on nearby parks and neighborhoods in the Cedars.
“It's what happens to the property, to the people, to the communities, to the neighborhoods that are under this,” said Stewart.
Other council members had qualms about the platformed rail's proximity to Reunion Tower and the Fort Worth line's economic impact and practicality for Dallas residents.
Still, city leaders showed overwhelming support for the Houston bullet train.
"Dallas to Houston is great, and if we can work out what is Fort Worth-Arlington to make a connection," said Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold. "I just think it's just another tool in our toolbox to move people."
Morris told the council that NCTCOG and Amtrak are working closely but separately on each line.
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