High-speed train between Dallas and Houston gets federal approval

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Martin Q. Blank
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8:27a, 9/22/20
https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2020/09/21/high-speed-train-between-dallas-and-houston-gets-federal-approval/
Quote:
The high-speed train that promises to link Dallas and Houston within 90 minutes has been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, according to Texas Central Railroad, the company in charge of the project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration issued the two key rulings that Texas officials were waiting on to move forward with the project, according to the company, which provide the regulatory framework and the environmental review for the high-speed train. Texas Central expects to start construction in the first half of 2021.
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atmtws
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8:30a, 9/22/20
AG
I'm sure they did studies on the demand for something like this, but I just dont believe that people will ride this as much as those studies show. Look at Amtrak. Its not an apples to apples comparison, but people prefer to drive. I would assume this is even more true in the new China Virus World we are living in.
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Canyon99
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8:31a, 9/22/20
Completely unnecessary
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fooz
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8:32a, 9/22/20
Never gonna happen.
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lawless89
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8:33a, 9/22/20
I commute between both all the time and would never be interested in taking this. I'd rather commute by myself in my truck and have a vehicle when I'm in both cities. I just don't see a lot of people actually using this.
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61
Get Off My Lawn
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8:34a, 9/22/20
Hub-to-hub transportation, between distributed populations, where the hubs won't even reach the primary attractions, which will be inferior to current air options, and will be rendered obsolete by autonomous vehicles.

Boon-fricken-doggle.
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TxTarpon
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In reply to atmtws • 8:36a, 9/22/20

Quote:
I'm sure they did studies on the demand for something like this, but I just dont believe that people will ride this as much as those studies show.
It would work if it was this way:
1. Load car or truck onto train.
2. Ride train.
3. Unload car or truck from train.
4. Drive as needed.
Repeat for home journey.
----------------------------------
Texans make the best songwriters because they are the best liars.-Rodney Crowell

We will never give up our guns Steve, we don't care if there is a mass shooting every day of the week.
-BarronVonAwesome

A man with experience is not at the mercy of another man with an opinion.
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MouthBQ98
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8:38a, 9/22/20
AG
The carrying capacity of trains to move volumes of people versus the cost to build and maintain the infrastructure for a train simply doesn't work.

Also, how will they keep the tracks clear? This train better have one phenomenal high speed cow catcher.
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Clob94
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In reply to TxTarpon • 8:39a, 9/22/20
TxTarpon said:

Quote:
I'm sure they did studies on the demand for something like this, but I just dont believe that people will ride this as much as those studies show.
It would work if it was this way:
1. Load car or truck onto train.
2. Ride train.
3. Unload car or truck from train.
4. Drive as needed.
Repeat for home journey.
This. Houston and Dallas are just too spread out to not have a vehicle. You can get away with this is Europe because of different logistical reasons, but Dallas and Houston aren't Brussels and Amsterdam.
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policywonk98
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8:40a, 9/22/20
AG
What do these people think is going to happen as driver assist becomes more and more advanced and goes from luxury to mainstream?

That's going to happen within a decade.

Don't get me wrong, as a three year train commuter in the DC metro. I love train commuting(not Light rail, real trains). Hop on train and read or sleep or whatever until you get to your destination. Hop out and go to office or first meeting of the day. Quick and easy.

But DC is built for being without a car. Houston and Dallas, not so much.
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80sGeorge
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8:41a, 9/22/20
AG
Objectively there are many negatives surrounding this deal from costs, to terminal locations, and eminent domain issues.

But I still think it's cool to have the first one in the US and that there's supposed to be a quasi-close to A&M stop.
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pagerman @ work
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In reply to Martin Q. Blank • 8:42a, 9/22/20
AG
Martin Q. Blank said:
https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2020/09/21/high-speed-train-between-dallas-and-houston-gets-federal-approval/
Quote:
The high-speed train that promises to link Dallas and Houston within 90 minutes has been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, according to Texas Central Railroad, the company in charge of the project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration issued the two key rulings that Texas officials were waiting on to move forward with the project, according to the company, which provide the regulatory framework and the environmental review for the high-speed train. Texas Central expects to start construction in the first half of 2021.

I think calling it "approval" is a bit misleading by the source/company. My understanding is that it is really more like setting up the parameters in which construction and operations can take place from an environmental and regulatory perspective.

Sort of like the company saying "Here's our plan to build this dumb train. We promise we will not recklessly kill all the flora and fauna we encounter and not blacken the sky with soot and pollutants." and the feds saying "Ok, the plans not to kill all the flora and fauna you encounter and not blacken the sky with soot and pollutants. Are approved."

It's not an assessment of the viability of the idea or an endorsement by anyone.
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. It's inherent virtue is the equal sharing of miseries." - Winston Churchill
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Gigem314
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8:43a, 9/22/20
AG
Packing in an enclosed train with a lot of people. That's exactly what the average Texan is wanting to do in a post-COVID world.
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The Shank Ag
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8:44a, 9/22/20
Waste of money

If it went directly from Fort Worth to the west side of Kyle Field, I would probably take it a few times a year.
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tysker
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8:44a, 9/22/20
AG
Are these proposals ever created by people that actually live and work in Texas?
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TxTarpon
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In reply to Clob94 • 8:44a, 9/22/20

Quote:
This. Houston and Dallas are just too spread out to not have a vehicle. You can get away with this is Europe because of different logistical reasons, but Dallas and Houston aren't Brussels and Amsterdam.
Exactly!
Which is why the car-truck-suv load is necessary for this to work.
People are not going to pay $100 for a round trip ticket plus $200 for Uber/Lyfte when gas is $1.89/gallon.
Just not happening.
Unless....there is free booze on the train.

When this was floated years ago SWA lobbied hard to prevent it.
----------------------------------
Texans make the best songwriters because they are the best liars.-Rodney Crowell

We will never give up our guns Steve, we don't care if there is a mass shooting every day of the week.
-BarronVonAwesome

A man with experience is not at the mercy of another man with an opinion.
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The Shank Ag
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8:45a, 9/22/20
I wonder if this creates any commuters that live in one of the cities and works in the other. Plenty of people already commute close to that long in their cars. My longest commute was about 75 minutes
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Fightin_Aggie
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In reply to 80sGeorge • 8:46a, 9/22/20
AG
80sGeorge said:
Objectively there are many negatives surrounding this deal from costs, to terminal locations, and eminent domain issues.

But I still think it's cool to have the first one in the US and that there's supposed to be a quasi-close to A&M stop.


Isn't the stop in Shiro which is 20 miles away and in the middle of nowhere?
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itsyourboypookie
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In reply to MouthBQ98 • 8:47a, 9/22/20
MouthBQ98 said:
The carrying capacity of trains to move volumes of people versus the cost to build and maintain the infrastructure for a train simply doesn't work.

Also, how will they keep the tracks clear? This train better have one phenomenal high speed cow catcher.


Will be 20' in the air
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CanyonAg77
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8:47a, 9/22/20
AG
Ninety minutes?

Doesn't Southwest do the same trip in seventy minutes?
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agdoc2001
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8:47a, 9/22/20
AG
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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halfastros81
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8:48a, 9/22/20
AG
I suppose someone that lives in the Houston area and commutes to Dallas weekly or vice versa could leave a car parked near the train station on each end. Doesn't seem like it would make economic sense tho. Uber or Lyft another option.

Isn't this all privately funded? If so the investors are taking the business risk but no public $ should be used. That's been the issue in the past with these type of project I suspect. They fail before they are even in service and then public $ finish them.
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TxTarpon
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 8:48a, 9/22/20

Quote:
Doesn't Southwest do the same trip in seventy minutes?

Well if you can skip this....
----------------------------------
Texans make the best songwriters because they are the best liars.-Rodney Crowell

We will never give up our guns Steve, we don't care if there is a mass shooting every day of the week.
-BarronVonAwesome

A man with experience is not at the mercy of another man with an opinion.
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nortex97
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8:50a, 9/22/20
AG
I initially was thrilled that this silly project would not use taxpayer money, and could be laughed at without any real angst, but no, now (a) they are getting stimulus money from the feds, and (b) the project is 'surprisingly' 20 billion over initial estimates to build.

Oh, and to exactly no one's surprise they're going to use eminent domain to take whatever land they deem necessary;
Quote:
The train's still on the tracks toward its construction, though, as the company hit a breakthrough in an essential legal ruling just one month ago: The Thirteenth Court of Appeals ruled Texas Central and its subsidiary Integrated Texas Logistics as legal railroads.

The decision reversed a previous one made in the 87th district of Leon County. Designating the project as a legal railroad is almost as powerful as what happens next. All railroads have the right of eminent domain, which means that Texas Central can acquire all the land it needs. Project opponents are appealing the decision to the Texas Supreme Court.

In response, Aquilar said the "decision confirms our status as an operating railroad and allows us to continue moving forward with our permitting process and all of our other design, engineering, and land acquisition efforts."
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HartWorm93
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8:50a, 9/22/20
AG
Yeah, this thing sounds real cool to little kids, but it doesn't serve any practical purposes for the people they expect to use this...business travelers. As has been mentioned, it dumps you downtown then what?
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to MouthBQ98 • 8:50a, 9/22/20
AG
It's going to have 12-15 foot high fences along the ENTIRE thing.
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to TxTarpon • 8:51a, 9/22/20
AG
TxTarpon said:

Quote:
Doesn't Southwest do the same trip in seventy minutes?

Well if you can skip this....

Sure, you can skip it....until the first terrorist incident. Then it's the same thing.
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SNES Chalmers
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8:51a, 9/22/20
Drive to train station: 30 minutes
Loading and depart: 30 minutes
Train ride: 90 minutes (MAYBE if it doesn't stop)
Arrival and getting secondary transportation: 30 minutes
Getting where you need to go: 30 minutes

Total Trip time: 3.5 hours


Driving from where you live Dallas to where you need to go in Houston: Around 3.5 hours.

I'm probably stretching a bit but WTF.
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tysker
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In reply to The Shank Ag • 8:52a, 9/22/20
AG
The Shank Ag said:
I wonder if this creates any commuters that live in one of the cities and works in the other. Plenty of people already commute close to that long in their cars. My longest commute was about 75 minutes
I did the reverse commute from NYC to NJ for years for abot the same length of time and there is something about being able to sleep, read, watch movies, or god forbid work during the train ride. The untold major downside is you are bounded the train schedule and delays.
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atmtws
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In reply to MouthBQ98 • 8:53a, 9/22/20
AG
This will be a ridiculous waste of money.
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Get Off My Lawn
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In reply to Clob94 • 8:55a, 9/22/20
Clob94 said:
TxTarpon said:

Quote:
I'm sure they did studies on the demand for something like this, but I just dont believe that people will ride this as much as those studies show.
It would work if it was this way:
1. Load car or truck onto train.
2. Ride train.
3. Unload car or truck from train.
4. Drive as needed.
Repeat for home journey.
This. Houston and Dallas are just too spread out to not have a vehicle. You can get away with this is Europe because of different logistical reasons, but Dallas and Houston aren't Brussels and Amsterdam.
It's the air conditioner effect. Cities that only grew after A/C was available developed as commuter cities (because the automobile was ubiquitous by then). This means that all forms of public transportation are highly inefficient in the south.
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OldArmyBrent
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8:55a, 9/22/20
AG
Wasn't there another company doing this exact same thing until a year or so ago when it went under and disappeared? They brought in a bunch of "high speed train experts" from Japan to consult on it, mixed with a bunch of Randy Cody contractor types. Now that was a boondoggle.
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Gator92
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8:56a, 9/22/20
AG
Huge boondoggle. Taxpayer will be left to pay for when it goes bankrupt. Amtrak is federally subsidized. There are only 2 trains that make a profit. Still gonna have to get strip searched to board. Can I carry my gun?

If they are gonna do it anyway, why can't they use the existing I45 row? Elevate in median and over existing overpasses.
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BQ_90
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In reply to The Shank Ag • 8:56a, 9/22/20
AG
The Shank Ag said:
I wonder if this creates any commuters that live in one of the cities and works in the other. Plenty of people already commute close to that long in their cars. My longest commute was about 75 minutes
telework is already doing that. covid will shift the way many people work in the future.

the train is worthless waste of money
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O'Doyle Rules
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 8:59a, 9/22/20
AG
CanyonAg77 said:
Ninety minutes?

Doesn't Southwest do the same trip in seventy minutes?


Are you including TSA and gate waiting time? I think not.
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