Dallas-Fort Worth Core Express Service

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Dallas-Fort Worth Core Express Service

The Texas Transportation Commission established the Commission for High-Speed Rail in the DFW Region to advise on the proposed Dallas-Fort Worth Core Express Service. The Commission for High-Speed Rail in the DFW Region advises on the proposed development of intercity rail corridors, new transportation policies, and funding and procurement strategies related to the implementation of potential high-speed rail in the Metroplex.

TxDOT is developing an environmental study and working with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), private interests and other stakeholders to examine the feasibility of a faster, limited-stop passenger rail service that could connect possible future high-speed rail lines currently being planned in Dallas and Fort Worth. The study will consider possible rail alignments, train types and speeds. Although there has been regional discussion about station concepts serving downtown Dallas, Arlington and downtown Fort Worth, specific station locations have not been determined.

In addition, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), the metropolitan planning organization for the Dallas-Fort Worth Region, has included high-speed or express passenger rail corridors in its long-range regional transportation plan (Mobility 2035 – 2014 Update).

This project, as well as the Dallas-Houston High-Speed Rail Project, Lone Star Regional Rail Project and the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study, presents an innovative opportunity for the state given continued population growth and the increasing congestion on highways and at major airports – as part of an interconnected and multimodal transportation system vision.

Current Status

TxDOT and FRA hosted a public open house on June 30, 2015. The meeting focused on potential track location in or near Fort Worth, Haltom City, Richland Hills, Euless, Irving, Arlington, Grand Prairie and Dallas. The project team shared feedback from citizens from the public scoping meetings late last year.

FRA initiated the process of evaluating the possibility for a high-speed or express passenger rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas by publishing a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for such a line. This marks the beginning of the process that will study the feasibility and impacts, and gather public input of the proposed high-speed or express passenger rail line.

Funding for the Dallas-Fort Worth Core Express environmental study comes from the April 2011 U.S. High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program grant; it is important to note that there is no funding for construction at this time.

Get Involved

June 30, 2015 - Open House

TxDOT, FRA and NCTCOG are committed to ongoing public outreach throughout this project. The first series of public meetings were scoping meetings, which drew more than 300 attendees in Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington during November 2014. The scoping meeting comment period ended on Dec. 15, 2014.

Comments

The public is always welcome to share feedback and comments online or mail a comment form to the address below.

TxDOT
Rail Planning Section Manager
125 E. 11th St.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 486-5137

Complaints

Submit complaints to the form below. Choose the "Rail" and "Complaint" options.

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Timeline

Estimated major project milestones include:

September 2014: Notice of Intent published
Project Scoping: November 2014
Open House: June 2015
Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Fall 2016
Final Environmental Impact Statement: 2017
Record of Decision: 2017

Possible future project phases:

Final Design/Construction: Spring 2018 – Summer 2021
Begin Operations: Fall 2021

Project Partners

NCTCOG
FRA