Texas High-Speed Rail Deal Moves Forward

Texas Central, which plans to build a high-speed rail (HSR) line between Dallas and Houston, has contracted Italy’s Salini Impregilo and its U.S. subisiary, Lane Construction, to design, build and install the bulk of the 240-mile track.

Using Japan’s high-speed (200 mph or more) Shinkansen trains, the line promises to cut commute times from 4.5 hours to about 90 minutes, including one stop.

Pending local and federal approval, Salini and Lane could begin construction—including viaducts and embankments—by the end of 2020, with service starting in 2026. The deal is valued at about $16 billion. Other aspects of the project, totaling another $4 billion, haven’t been awarded.

The project, which already has been delayed several times, would be the first bullet train in the U.S. There also are plans for HSR corridors in Florida, New England and the Midwest.

Amtrak opened its Acela Express line, which runs between Washington, D.C., and Boston, in late 2000. Speeds are relatively slow—topping out at 150 mph but averaging only about 70 mph—compared with bullet trains in Asia that can reach more than 250 mph.

China and other countries also are developing magnetic levitation trains capable of speeds as high as 600 kph (373 mph).