This afternoon, Texas Central Railway Corp. president (and former Harris County Judge) Robert Eckels presented his case for why he believes Texas is ripe for a high-speed train from Houston to Dallas. In his presentation at the Houston-Galveston Area Council during its “Brown Bag Lunch Series”, Mr. Eckels noted factors such as flat geography, an “ideal” distance of 240 miles, and the rapid growth forecasted for Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston as major reasons why he believes a HSR system is perfect transportation solution for this region. Furthermore, he said that his current financial model projections say it can be built entirely with private funding and would not require any federal or state subsidies. While stations have not yet been identified, he said he thinks one station in downtown Houston and one station in downtown Dallas is the most likely scenario.
After the presentation, I spoke with him briefly about potential opportunities for young transportation professionals in Houston. “Absolutely, tons” he told me. “Once we get this thing going, we see plenty of opportunities for young transportation professionals–engineers and planners especially, throughout Texas.”
To find out more information about the Texas Central Railway or watch a cool video about the system: http://www.texascentral.com/