On Thursday the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transportation Council signed off on an additional $1.6 million which could be used to help alter the proposed Dallas to Fort Worth high-speed rail line after the initially suggested route sparked a local backlash.
It came after Dallas city council voted not to approve the planned route in June until the completion of an economic impact study, with members saying they opposed any new above ground rail construction in the city’s downtown, Uptown or Victory Park areas.
The past few years have seen a surge in high-speed rail interest across the U.S., with a number of lines either under construction or proposed. In Texas there are plans for a new 240 mile-per-hour railway connecting Dallas to Houston, which is being developed by Texas Central and Amtrak and was endorsed by President Biden in May.
Separately the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is working on outline proposals for a line connecting Dallas to Fort Worth though this is not expected to get National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance until at least 2025.
NCTCOG director Michael Morris said the $1.6 million cleared on Thursday could be used to help fund the environmental review process after a change in the Dallas to Fort Worth high speed rail route, though this hasn’t been requested at this time.
According to The Dallas Morning News he said: “We know we need to advance the western alignment to make sure it works, make sure there’s no fatal flaws.
“My suspicion is we may need some money to finish because we’ve engineered more than we thought we’re going to engineer.”
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During Thursday’s meeting NCTCOG members spoke out against the previously proposed Fort Worth to Dallas route, which would cut through the southwestern corner of Dallas parallel to Interstate 30. It would also pass close to Hyatt Regency Hotel and Reunion Tower. Hunt Reality Investments, a Dallas property company which is planning a $5 billion development on land it owns around the Hyatt, has argued the current proposed route could interfere with its project.
