The proposed Dallas-to-Fort Worth high-speed rail line has hit a few setbacks since it was first announced. But there is now some good news out of the Lone Star State, as the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Regional Transportation Council has signed off on an additional $1.6 million to help the proposed bullet train become a reality, Newsweek reported.
The train's most recent hurdle came after the Dallas City Council voted against it, opposing any new above-ground rail construction in Dallas' Downtown, Uptown, or Victory Park areas.
However, the project does not appear to be going anywhere. "I don't think they can just kill the program," Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said at the time. "I think high-speed rail is something that is necessary to regionalize transportation in all of North Texas."
Newsweek speculated the additional $1.6 million in funding could be used for an environmental review to change the route slightly in acquiescence to the Dallas City Council. A separate Dallas-to-Houston line is being built by Amtrak, which warned that altering the Dallas-to-Fort Worth route could make it more difficult to connect the two lines.
Whatever form high-speed rail takes in Texas, it will be better than no high-speed rail at all. Research has shown that trains are the most planet-friendly form of long-distance travel, creating less heat-trapping air pollution per passenger than either cars or airplanes. In addition, they require less space overall than cars, create less noise pollution, and tend to be, on balance, easier and more pleasant for travelers.
Though the United States currently lags behind many other countries — most notably, China — in terms of building a robust high-speed rail network, several projects in addition to the Texas ones are in the works. These include the long-awaited California high-speed rail system, two privately owned lines in Florida and on the West Coast from Brightline, and other, more far-off projects such as a line connecting Boston to New York.
Though Texas officials seem less enthused about the prospect of high-speed rail than their counterparts in other states, the projects have received some tepid endorsements. Texas Senator Ted Cruz previously told Newsweek that the proposed high-speed lines could "create jobs and support the economy."
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