NEW YORK: With high-speed rail in the United States long on plans and short on construction, a Texas company is aiming to fast-track service between Dallas and Houston.
The Texas Central Railway Co. plans to use private investment and Central Japan Railway bullet train technology to run a line between two of the largest U.S. cities. Company officials say service could begin in 2021.
If we can’t do it in Texas, I don’t know where in the United States you could do it,” said Richard Lawless, chairman and chief executive officer of Texas Central Railway, a private company set up about four years ago to build a high-speed rail link.
Lawless said the project, which has been estimated to cost $10 billion, will be financed through a combination of debt and equity.
Backers of the service contend that if they can get their line built, it will show the benefits of high-speed service and could help jump-start other projects that have languishedDallas and Houston are separated by about 240 miles (390 km), a distance seen by advocates as optimal for high-speed rail. More than 50,000 people currently commute by car and plane between the cities on a weekly basis.
