Frequently asked questions from the Impact Statement: ABOUT TEXAS CENTRAL RAILWAY What is Texas Central Railway? Texas Central High-Speed Railway is a private Texas company working to bring high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston. We are taking a never-before-seen, market led approach to high-speed rail. What is the high-speed rail project that you want to bring to Texas? We are promoting a high-speed railway that will run between Dallas and Houston, based on the Tokaido Shinkansen System. With trains capable of 205 mph, your trip between these cities will now take under 90 minutes. I think I heard about this. Isn't this a TxDOT project? Texas Central High-Speed Rail is a private company that is working closely with TxDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration on the environmental review of its privately proposed project, Similarly, the construction and operation of the high-speed rail will be regulated by both TxDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration. How is this project different from past and current high-speed projects and what will make it succeed? We are a private company, employing a market-led approach. Unlike other high-speed rail projects, we are not backed by public funds or your taxpayer dollars. Speaking about the technology, we are promoting the deployment of N700-I Bullet total system. ABOUT THE TRAIN What is N700-I Bullet total system? The N700-I Bullet total system is the international version of the Tokaido Shinkansen total system currently in operation between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. This international version will feature the core system - passenger train, overhead catenary, tracks, signaling - along with all of the corresponding maintenance and operations protocols that have made Tokaido Shinkansen operations so safe, efficient and successful for over 50 years. How fast will these trains go? The Texas bullet train will be capable of 205 mph. This means your journey between Dallas and Houston will take under 90 minutes. How will I get around when I get to the station? Service will run out of Houston and Dallas. From the stations, you will easily be able to rent a car, be picked-up by a family member, friend or colleague, hail a cab, or access public transportation such as the DART in Dallas or Houston's METRO. These convenient locations also mean that you will be a short walk or taxi ride away from your final destination. When can I get a ticket? We expect the service to begin as early as 2021. Once completed, you will be able to purchase a ticket online, similar to purchasing an airline ticket. How much will a ticket cost? We expect ticket prices to be very competitive with those of airlines. How often will trains run? Current plans call for trains to run every 30 minutes out of both Dallas and Houston, seven days a week, all day long. Talk about the technology...what is so special about the N700-I Bullet? The bullet train system that will be deployed in Texas is based on the Tokaido Shinkansen Technology, which has operated for over 50 years in Japan boasting a perfect track record of zero passenger fatalities or injuries due to train accidents. In addition to its safety record, the SeriesN700 rolling stock operating between Tokyo and Osaka consumes 1/8th the amount of energy per seat and expends 1/12th less carbon dioxide than a Boeing 777-200*. *Data based on Tokyo-Osaka line. Thanks to this amazing technology, Texans will soon be getting a safe and clean transportation alternative. How safe is it? This high-speed rail technology has proven to be the safest, most reliable and comfortable high-speed rail system in the world. There have been no injuries or fatalities due to train accidents in more than 50 years of operations. THE ROUTE Where will the stations be? Stations will be convenient to downtown Dallas and Houston, making travel easy and seamless once you arrive. Will this extend to Austin/San Antonio? We don't currently have plans to extend our line to cities outside of Dallas and Houston. However, this project does create a backbone for future expansion into other cities. Do you have a route determined and the stops included in that route? Our proposed route and stops will be determined by market demand and the results of the Environmental Impact Study. We will include stops where market demand is high, and environmental impact is low. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT What about the land you'll need to build it? To the greatest extent possible, the construction of the project will take place along land that is already reserved for transportation or some other purpose. This means that impact on landowners will be minimized during both construction and operation. How is this good for the environment? High-speed rail's comparatively light environmental impact is one of the plan's greatest benefits. In addition to taking cars off the road, the bullet train to be deployed in Texas is based on the Tokaido Shinkansen System, which operation between Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, emits 1/12th the carbon dioxide than a Boeing B777-200.* *Data based on Tokyo-Osaka line. How will this reduce traffic congestion? Travel time by car between Dallas and Houston is expected to increase to over 6.5 hours in the next 20 years. High-speed rail will provide a faster, safer alternative to auto travel, which will help alleviate this congestion. Who is running the environmental review and how can I learn more? The Federal Railroad Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation are leading the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Information related to the process can be found on their websites. Who is funding TCR's EIS process? We will be privately funding the EIS process. Unlike other projects, we are not using public funds to complete our EIS. How will your project affect landowners? We respect and value the property rights of Texas landowners. Planning has emphasized the importance of identifying and using land adjacent to or within existing rights of way. This means that impact on landowners will be minimized. BENEFITS How many jobs will this project create? While unofficial, our initial projection shows that approximately 10,000 jobs will be created over the project's 4-year construction period. On top of that, over 750 jobs will be created for the railroad's annual operations. What will the economic impact be to the state? Construction of this high-speed rail will inject billions of dollars into Texas' already booming economy. By creating new jobs and stimulating commerce between Dallas and Houston, this project helps to ensure that Texas will continue to be an economic model for the country. How will this rail help travelers? High-speed rail provides Texans a safe, clean and convenient alternative to driving or flying. Passengers will be able to travel between Dallas and Houston in about 90 minutes, which will help ease traffic and congestion on I-45. ABOUT JRC Who is JRC? Central Japan Railway Company (JRC) is publicly traded, private company that operates 323 high-speed passenger trains each day on the line between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. JRC's Tokaido Shinkansen Bullet total system is the world's premier high-speed rail technology that uses leading-edge technologies to ensure system safety, an exceptional passenger experience and efficiency and reliability that is second to none. To read more about JRC, please see their website. What is JRCs' role in this project? JRC intends to provide a Life-of-System Commitment to this project, which means they will use their years of experience to act in an advisory capacity on the basis that the N700-I Bullet System is adopted in its entirety. FINANCE Who paid for all of the engineering and environmental work completed by TCR to date? We are! Texas Central High-Speed Railway is a privately funded company. We have spent millions of our own dollars to validate and promote the project. The validation of this project is not backed by public funds, or your taxpayer dollars. Will you ever use taxpayer money for the project or to maintain the high-speed rail once it's built? This is a private, market-led project, which means if the rail system can't pay for itself, it will be unable to attract the investors necessary for construction. The proposed project will not require federal grants or operational subsidies. How much will the project cost and who is footing the bill? Many factors, including the results of the environmental review, will go into determining the final cost of the project. Most importantly, TCR is footing the bill for its environmental review - a real rarity - and the project is not predicated upon the availability of federal grants or operational subsidies. TIMELINE What is the timeline for construction? TCR will not be the constructor of the railroad. We expect the service to begin by 2021. Completion of the environmental review process will be a big step forward to realizing this timeline. * All claims and descriptions of the high-speed rail system's operations, including service and station amenities, are solely suggestions of potentiality based on examples from other high-speed rail around the world and for promotional purposes only. TCR will not be the owner, developer, implementer nor operator of the railroad. The railroad's owner or operator will be responsible for coordinating with regulatory agencies and others regarding the specific aspects of the system's service. Domestic Control Texas Central High-Speed Railway is a US company, headquartered in Texas, with offices in Dallas, Houston and Washington DC serving the various needs of the project and close coordination with cities, counties and communities along the project's route. Although we are cooperating to make this project a success, Texas Central High-Speed Railway and Central Japan Railway Company are two separate, independent, and non-affiliated entities. Central Japan Railway Company's Life of System Commitment is critical to the project's success. The operator of the system in Texas will have the benefit of the technical support of the world's premier high-speed rail operator, thereby ensuring safe, fast, efficient and dependable high-speed rail operations for generations of future Texans. Following the completion of the environmental impact study, TCR anticipates that privately funded development entities will assume responsibility for the project's construction and the selection of an operator to manage the operation of the railway. It is anticipated that the development and construction of the system will be financed by a wide-variety of investors. (although a private company, they have right of eminent domain - note by L. Thompson) Private Property Texas Central Railway respects and honors the private property rights of our fellow Texans. We are determined that this project be an example of how big things can be done in a transparent way, the right way. The easiest approach to minimizing landowner impacts is to maximize the use of existing rights of way. Tight curves and a desire to avoid densely populated areas will require occasional deviations from current rail and road alignments, and the need for access to additional land. Fortunately-and unlike large government projects that have been proposed in the past-this private sector, N700-I based, double-track system: (HSR trains leave every 30 min.which means there will be double tracks for passing trains, L.T.) - Can be deployed with a very narrow footprint (approximately 80 ft. in width), including security fencing; and
- Only requires surface access rights, so Texans can retain complete ownership of the land itself, including 100% of all their oil, mineral and gas rights.
Of course any corridor-no matter how narrow-becomes an obstacle if you need to get to the other side. Through the environmental review process, Texas Central Railway will work closely with landowners and communities on ways to safeguard their ability to farm, ranch, commute and generally go about their lives. We are committed to finding land-use solutions that work for everyone. Safety High-speed rail is the safest way to travel between cities. In fact, millions of passengers ride high-speed rail every day across Europe and Asia. After 50 years of high-speed rail operation on Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen system, there have been no fatalities or injuries due to train accidents, because of thorough system maintenance and advanced safety systems. To learn from that long experience, Texas Central Railway has consulted with global leaders in the high-speed rail industry to ensure that the latest technologies and highest standards for safety are brought to Texas. We are working closely with JR Central, the premier operator of world-class high-speed passenger rail, including Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen. The company has turned high-speed rail operation into an exact science. Texas Central Railway and JR Central are committed to a 100% safety performance standard. JRC's nearly 50-year record of safe high-speed rail operations is unrivaled globally, and we will insist on nothing less here in Texas. JRC intends to provide a Life of System Commitment to the project in Texas. While JRC is not a financial investor in the project and will not participate as a lead entity at any phase of the project, the project will have the benefit from JRC's technical support backed up with its experience and HSR know-how at every phase of the project's design, construction, and operation. This Texas HSR project will have the benefit of JRC's technical support, thereby helping to ensure a safety and performance record on par with the highly successful Tokaido Shinkansen. Texas Central High-Speed Railway and JRC's commitment to safety permeates every aspect of the train system's design, and an expertly designed and executed operation and maintenance regiment, including: - Adoption of a complete system that seamlessly integrates signaling, infrastructure design, track work, communications, power supply, operations, maintenance, rolling stock and the system safety plan into a coherent whole;
- A completely separated track system dedicated solely to high-speed passenger rail service and fully grade-separated infrastructure, precluding any possible encounter with freight traffic, motor vehicles or pedestrians;
- Use of JRC's state-of-the-art and proprietary Automatic Train Control (ATC) signaling technology, which will provide equivalent or even better safety levels than those in use in the U.S. today.
| 
