A handful of North Texans criticized state plans for a high-speed train between Dallas and Fort Worth late Thursday, saying the project makes little sense given that it’s only 32 miles between the cities.
The opposition came during a Texas Department of Transportation meeting seeking input about the high-speed plan. The agency is studying the cost and feasibility of such a line, with the aim of connecting it to a private company’s planned bullet train from Dallas to Houston.
But some on Thursday said it made more sense to add tracks along the TRE commuter line so express trains could run between Fort Worth and Dallas. TxDOT officials have identified that line and Interstate 30 as possible routes for the high-speed train in North Texas.
TxDOT has yet to release an estimated cost for a high-speed line. Residents who spoke Thursday said it probably would be too costly and wouldn’t be that fast considering the short distance and a possible stop in Arlington.
“Why not have an express train?” Brian Tindle of Dallas said about adding TRE service to connect the cities. “Every other city that has passenger rail runs an express train during rush hour.”
TRE has eight stops between its two endpoints, making the ride from Dallas to Fort Worth about an hour. Express trains would skip several stations to connect farther distances faster. But that would require more tracks than the TRE line has. The TRE is jointly operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the T of Fort Worth.
TxDOT is also studying the cost and feasibility of creating a high-speed rail network that could run from Mexico to Oklahoma and connect several of the state’s biggest cities. The line being called the Dallas-Fort Worth Core Express Service would connect into that larger network.
Even though funding hasn’t been identified for the state’s lines, officials said Thursday its high-speed-rail studies are aimed at handling projected growth in the state.
“It really boils down to the success of Texas,” said Erik Steavens, TxDOT’s rail director.
Al Taylor of Dallas said he’s excited about a possible bullet train from Dallas to Houston. That line could open as soon as 2021 and could get people from one city to the other in 90 minutes.
But Taylor said the benefit of a Dallas-Fort Worth bullet train isn’t worth the cost.
“We’ve gotta take all these ideas with a critical eye,” he said.
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