With federal support on the line for a proposed bullet train from North Texas to Houston, Dallas leaders still haven’t agreed to a path for the project.
During a Thursday meeting of the Regional Transportation Council, elected officials from the region's largest cities debated approval of processes that could give the council crucial funding for the two independent but closely-tied projects: high-speed rail from Fort Worth and Arlington to Dallas and a connected "one-seat ride" to Houston.
For months, Dallas leaders on the regional council have voiced their concerns over the project's alignment and opposition from the powerful Hunt Realty group, which says the project would impact a multi-billion dollar investment near Reunion Tower.
"Dallas has not today approved an alignment," said District 14 Dallas City Council Paul Ridley, who also chairs the city's transportation and infrastructure committee.
Earlier this year, the city approved a resolution that opposed the bullet train's originally proposed route that would cut close to downtown's iconic landmark. A second alignment, west of downtown, has also not been formally approved.
The RTC was discussing whether to move forward with the first step of developing the Fort Worth to Houston High-Speed Rail Corridor led by the Federal Railroad Administration, as well as the Federal Transit Administration's National Environmental Policy Act initiative for a Dallas-Fort Worth High-Speed Rail Study.
District 12 city council member Cara Mendelsohn proposed to delay a vote on both processes because the city doesn't want a project that "damages the city."
Ridley said the city isn't "opposed to high speed rail — we just want to do it the right way that works for the city of Dallas.
"We will examine this issue... in good faith to review the alignment opportunities and hopefully issue a decision as a result," he said.
But regional transportation director Michael Morris told the council that time is running out to make a decision, and delaying it could cost them.
"We as a staff may be forced to write the work program ourselves, which is not necessarily in our swim lane, not impossible, but it would take away the hundreds of other things you're asking us to do," Morris said.
Leaders for Arlington and Fort Worth told the council that Dallas has had months to decide on an alignment as the cities are close to finishing their joint economic impact study.
"God knows when a decision will be made," said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. "This has been a little bit of, 'we're gonna stand alone and do our own thing regardless of what else is going on,' because Fort Worth in Arlington extended that olive branch to say, 'let's do the study together,' and y'all denied."
Fort Worth City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who represents District 9, added the RTC could still move forward and address Dallas' concerns.
"But Dallas also needs to stay on the schedule that they promised this body and that we would have a timely decision based on that," Beck said.
The transportation council ultimately voted to approve both federal initiatives.
Ridley told the council he intends to take up the issue at the January meeting of his city's transportation and infrastructure committee.
"We can discuss this and proceed to addressing the issue of an alignment that Dallas can live with," Ridley said.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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