NTX Magazine Volume 4 | Page 38

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Transportation
Dallas
(left) and
Fort Worth
(right)
cityscapes.

©iStock.com/David Sucsy

“Our project will be a
great boon for business
in Dallas/Fort Worth,
Houston and the
entire region,” Robert
Eckels, president of
Texas Central HighSpeed Railway, noted.
“Construction of this
high-speed railway
alone will inject billions
of dollars into Texas’s
already-thriving
economy and create
hundreds of permanent
high-paying jobs for rail
operations.”

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www.ntc-dfw.org

much more known for its polite sharing of space
than open prairies and limitless land.
Texas Central High-Speed Railway, a privately
held company, is speeding toward creation of
the nation’s first privately-funded, high-speed rail
line. The line would offer North Texans the ability
to travel from Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes just slightly more than the average plane trip - by
utilizing Japan Railway’s state-of-the-art N700-I
Bullet train, a train that is safe and comfortable
at speeds that top more than 200 mph.
“Our project will be a great boon for business
in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and the entire
region,” Robert Eckels, president of Texas Central
High-Speed Railway, noted. “Construction of this
high-speed railway alone will inject billions of
dollars into Texas’s already-thriving economy and
create hundreds of permanent high-paying jobs
for rail operations.”
Anyone who has sat in a car for hours along
the I-45 corridor knows how traffic snarls can
complicate an already-busy roadway. Those
conditions were widely apparent as Hurricane Rita,
the storm that immediately followed Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, forced Houstonians north along
the highway to North Texas. According to the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT),
drive time between the two cities is close to
five hours without traffic delays and highway
construction. By 2035, traffic congestion is
expected to double, causing the average travel
speed to drop by nearly 33 percent – from 60
miles per hour to 40. That means drivers can
expect to be in their cars for seven hours or more.

Winter/Spring 2015

©iStock.com/Aneese

“With Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth being two
of the largest and fastest growing metropolitan
areas in America, we are both faced with many of
the same challenges: growing traffic congestion,
ever-increasing commutes and limited public
transportation dollars from the state,” Houston
Mayor Annise Parker said. “It is imperative that
we give our residents an innovative alternative.
If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable,
private alternative that will help alleviate traffic
congestion and drastically reduce travel times.”
Today, the Dallas/Fort Worth area totals more
than 6.8 million people, a number that is expected
to be more than 12.6 million by 2035. Meanwhile,
the 5.9 million people in the greater Houston area
are expected to number more than 12 million by
2035. In Forbes magazine’s “America’s Fastest
Growing Cities 2014,” Dallas was ranked fourth,
while Houston was close behind at number ten –
the result of two strong, local economies. Options
for travel modes between the two cities are
currently limited to travel via air or car.
On the train, passengers will view the Texas
countryside from the comfort of well-appointed,
wide cabins, which will be arranged in seating
configurations of one by two, or two by two,
effectively eliminating the dreaded “middle
seat squeeze.” The trains will offer Wi-Fi, food
and beverage service – even mobile phone
connectivity – and will be comfortable for the
busy professional, the resting commuter and
traveling families alike.
According to Passenger Rail, a leading industry
rail publication, Texas Central High-Speed Railway