Summary
The Dallas City Council has reaffirmed its decision against building an elevated high-speed rail line through the city, affecting the future of the planned Dallas-Fort Worth route. This comes as Congress has removed nearly a billion dollars in funding for high-speed rail projects. The decision, along with funding cuts and legal issues, creates uncertainty for the Dallas-Fort Worth and Dallas-Houston rail projects.
Key Facts
- Dallas City Council reconfirmed its ban on elevated high-speed rail through the city's central areas.
- Congress eliminated $928 million in funding for high-speed rail projects.
- The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is working on a study funded by a $500,000 federal grant.
- Proposed rail alignments include routes linking Dallas-Fort Worth and Love Field airports.
- A study estimated a Houston-Dallas rail line would cost $30 billion and a Dallas-Fort Worth extension an additional $6 billion.
- The study suggested that upgrading the existing Trinity Railway Express (TRE) could cost around $1 billion as a potential alternative.
- Opponents, including Hunt Realty Investments, argue against certain rail routes due to possible negative impacts on local development.
