Houston Chronicle by Dug Begley Sep. 21, 2020
Federal officials have issued final approvals to backers of a Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line, further clearing the way for construction of the proposed line, in a move all but certain to face ongoing challenges from opponents.
Texas Central Railroad, the company planning to operate trains from Houston to Dallas with a stop near College Station, said early Monday that the Federal Railroad Administration had issued both the Record of Decision that ends the environmental analysis and the Rule of Particular Applicability that governs the safety standards the Japanese-developed trains must use.
“This is the moment we have been working towards,†said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad.
Railroad administration officials submitted the final rules Sept. 11 and made them publicly available Monday.
Company officials — who less than a decade ago expected construction to cost $10 billion, now say building it will cost “around $20 billion,†with construction possibly starting in the first half of next year.
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