Plans for a 240 mile-per-hour high-speed railway between Dallas and Houston received a major boost on April 15 when President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida both expressed support for the plan in a list of understandings released by the White House.
The proposal, which would be based around Japanese Shinkansen technology, would cut journey times between Texas's two biggest cities to 90 minutes according to developers, making it quicker than flying once time spent at airports is factored in.
According to figures produced by Amtrak and Texas Central, the proposed high-speed rail link would reduce the number of cars traveling on Interstate 45 per day by 12,500 and slash annual greenhouse gas emissions by over 100,000 tons.
Earlier this month construction began on a 218-mile high-speed rail line between southern California and Las Vegas.
Texas Central, a Dallas based company, has been pushing for a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas for several years, though it faced opposition from some landowners along the proposed route and suffered a blow when CEO Carlos Aguilar resigned at the end of 2023.
The proposed route largely runs along an electrical utility corridor between a site situated on the southern outskirts of downtown Dallas and the now-defunct Northwest Mall in northwest Houston.
In August 2023, Amtrak, America's national passenger railroad company, and Texas Central announced they were exploring developing the plan as a partnership.
In the press release, Texas Central CEO Michael Bui commented: "This high-speed train, using advanced, proven Shinkansen technology (from Japan), has the opportunity to revolutionize rail travel in the southern U.S., and we believe Amtrak could be the perfect partner to help us achieve that.
"We appreciate Amtrak's continued collaboration and look forward to continuing to explore how we can partner in the development of this important project."
According to Houston Public Media Amtrack senior vice president Andy Byford said: "This is very much a project that Amtrak is now leading.
"I have to make sure that in any recommendation I give to my CEO and to my board, that it is a project that is worthwhile pursuing. And right now, having looked at the revenue forecasts and done our due diligence to date, I still think that is the case. That again, though, does not mean that it's a done deal."
Speaking at Fort Worth on April 7 Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg gave his backing to the outline proposal commenting: "We believe in this.
"Obviously, it has to turn into a more specific design and vision, but everything I've seen makes me very excited."
Newsweek has contacted Texas Governor Greg Abbott for comment by email.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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