A new fast train in Texas will link Houston and Dallas at 330 km/h (330 km/h)
The new fast train in Texas will cover a stretch of 240 miles (386 kilometers) to travel between Houston and Dallas in 90 minutes.
Amtrak released a statement this August announcing that in partnership with Texas Central they plan to build a new fast train in Texas, which will link the cities of Houston and Dallas in just 90 minutes, traveling at a speed of 205 miles per hour (330 kilometers per hour).
The proposed rail line will cover a 240-mile (386 kilometers) stretch, with the purpose of transporting more than 6 million passengers per year.
According to Amtrak, the project is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 tons per year, saving 65 million gallons of fuel (about 250 million liters) and eliminating 12,500 cars per day from the I-45 freeway.
How the new fast train in Texas will link Houston and Dallas will look like
The trains that will travel on Amtrak’s Dallas and Houston route would be based on Japan’s N700S series Shinkansen “bullet train,” a design that first debuted in 2020. Bullet trains have been operating in Japan for more than half a century and are now also all-electric, lighter and quieter than traditional rail cars. In addition, the transportation method generates only one-sixth as much carbon per passenger mile as a standard commercial aircraft, according to Texas Central’s descriptions.
“This high-speed train, using advanced and proven Shinkansen technology, has the opportunity to revolutionize rail travel in the southern United States, and we believe Amtrak could be the perfect partner to help us get there,” said Michael Bui, executive director of Texas Central.
U.S. developers have been attracted to the idea of high-speed trains for decades, but repeatedly failed to actually get them off the ground due to a number of problems, including funding.
The United States enters a new era
Work is underway in different regions of the United States to strengthen and improve the rail system. The privately owned Brightline will launch the Orlando to Miami train in September (barring any changes), while plans are moving forward to build a rail link between Las Vegas and Southern California with a connection to Los Angeles.