Amtrak is officially in the conductor's seat for the proposal to build a high-speed train between Dallas and Houston.
"This is very much a project that Amtrak is now leading," said Andy Byford, Amtrak's Vice President of High-Speed Rail Development
According to Andy Byford, details of the transaction are subject to a non-disclosure agreement, but much of the work previously done has been helpful for Amtrak planners. The transition includes federal environmental approval, the sign-off for the Japanese technology behind the bullet train, and a court decision giving the project eminent domain authority.
The Southwestern Rail Conference gathered rail advocates across the state to hear Byford's presentation along with a speech by Amit Bose, the Federal Railroad Administrator. With a train-friendly Biden Administration in Washington and a huge influx in new transportation money coming from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021, rail advocates say the time is now to get major projects off the ground.
Amtrak estimates the project may be north of $30 billion and over the next eighteen months Byford said he will be putting together a public and private funding package"the likes of which has not been seen before."Amtrak taking over the project gave the project a shot in the arm. Amtrak's board is appointed by the President of the United States. The Biden Administration recently threw its support behind the Dallas to Houston rail project.
"The successful completion of development efforts and other requirements would position the project for potential future funding and financing opportunities,"Amtrak is currently working on a Service Development Plan to then pitch the project to the Federal Railroad Administration for priority funding. Recently a train between Los Angeles to San Francisco and another form Las Vegas to Los Angeles just received $3 billion each in federal funds.
“People forget, we’ve got thousands of landowners along the route. This has now been hanging over their head for ten years. Once that line goes on a map, you’re hosed," said Duhon.Duhon said Amtrak taking over the project does change things because decisions will now be made in Washington, D.C., and funding becomes less of an issue.
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