The North Central Texas Council of Governments is starting an environmental study of high-speed rail between Dallas and Fort Worth.
The environmental study is part of a larger project analysis, first started in 2020, that aims to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth area to two other proposed high-speed rail projects in Texas — the Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project and the Fort Worth to Laredo high-speed transportation project. The environmental piece of the study is expected to take two years.
Since its start, the Council of Governments has hosted over 180 meetings so far between the public, federal, state and local agencies, elected officials and community organizations.
Brendon Wheeler, program manager for the council of governments, said the agency has had a robust public engagement process that will continue with the environmental study.
“We’ve coordinated with cities, local jurisdictions, our transportation agency partners, federal partners, elected officials, to other folks down the line,” he said.
The agency has begun conversations with the Federal Transportation Administration and Federal Railroad Administration about this environmental study, Wheeler said.
“We’ve all agreed that it’s about time. We’re ready to move forward,” Wheeler said.
In February, the Council of Government decided to focus on developing a high-speed rail connection rather than a hyperloop since this technology is still being developed and could impact the project’s timeline.
The first part of the study identified which type of rail technology to use for this project. For this study, the Council of Governments has focused on high-speed rail, also known as a bullet train. A final, full report of the rail technology findings is expected in the next couple of months, Wheeler said.
The rail line would run along Interstate 30 with three stations: downtown Fort Worth, Arlington’s entertainment district and downtown Dallas.
Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or follow her on Twitter at @ssadek19. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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