If you're a Dallas-Fort Worth resident interested in learning more about the high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston, you'll get your chance on Tuesday.
A meeting seeking input from the public will take place October 21, from 4:30 to 8 pm, at the Dallas Infomart (1950 N. Stemmons Fwy.). Dallas is one of six cities where public meetings are being held by the Federal Railroad Administration and TxDOT.
The October 21 meeting will kick off with an open house, followed by a 30-minute presentation and an hour of public comment.
The two agencies are preparing an environmental impact statement for the 240-mile high-speed rail project from Dallas to Houston proposed by the Texas Central High-Speed Railway, a private company that has been developing plans for the train system since 2009.
Using the same Japanese bullet train model as the one that connects Tokyo and Osaka, Texas Central says the train would reach speeds of 205 miles per hour and complete the Dallas-Houston route in just 90 minutes.
The company plans to raise $10 billion in private capital to fund the line, which would provide an alternative to flying or driving on I-45.
The October 21 meeting will kick off with an open house from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, followed by a 30-minute presentation and an hour of public comment. The hearing comes in the midst of the project's environmental impact study, which will examine construction and operation effects of a high-speed rail system. The study will include an evaluation of the presumed method (a sealed high-speed rail corridor) as well as alternatives.
After Dallas, federal and state authorities will hold meetings along the proposed route in Corsicana, Teague, Bryan, Hunstville and Houston. In a statement, officials said they welcomed comments "regarding alternative alignments and station locations, as well as any significant social, economic or environmental impacts" related to the rail project.
The privately funded Texas Central Railway would connect DFW and Houston, cutting travel time to only 90 minutes.
