Ron Kirk joins company developing Dallas-Houston bullet train
Texas Central Railway is turning to a familiar and influential North Texas figure in its bid to connect Dallas and Houston with a high-speed rail line.
Former U.S trade ambassador and Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk joined the private firm Monday as a senior adviser. The move comes almost two years after Kirk left President Obama’s cabinet and returned to practicing law.
“I have seen just about all of the high-speed rail systems throughout Europe and Asia, and the competitive part of me feels that if the rest of the world can do this, why can’t we right here in the United States?” Kirk said in a statement on Texas Central’s website.
The company plans to operate a bullet train that would get people between the state’s two largest metropolitan areas in 90 minutes. Texas Central is currently seeking public input on the project. At a meeting in Dallas last month, attendants and local officials praised the project. They also said the only Dallas station that should be considered is one downtown.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, meanwhile, has unveiled an ambitious plan to increase light rail and streetcar services downtown in hopes of tying its system into the high-speed rail line.
Texas Central officials say that they believe trains could begin running in 2021. Between now and then, it must secure all the land needed, get federal approval and secure private investments of about $10 billion, if not more.
Kirk said the line will help the state’s economy, create jobs and free up gate capacity at Love Field. He said:
“For the business traveler in particular, high-speed rail is a more efficient means of transport for those of us who travel regularly between these two dynamic communities. A high-speed rail corridor would allow us to conduct our business better and do so in an environment that has proven to be safe, efficient, reliable and much more accommodating to getting work done while you are being transported.
Recognizing that the benefits are vast, I want to make this dream of high-speed rail in Texas and the United States a reality. I will be devoting my time and attention to helping that happen in every way I can.”