Feds to Study High-Speed Rail Service in Oklahoma and Texas

HeartlandFlyer

The federal government and the state of Texas have announced a series of hearings to explore ways to improve passenger rail service from Oklahoma City to south Texas.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation have released 10 service and route options for new and improved conventional and high-speed passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City, Fort worth, Austin, San Antonio and south Texas.

During a 45-day public-comment period, the two agencies will take comments on the 10 options and the seven recommended preferred options that have been identified. Public hearings will be held to give residents a chance to learn about the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study.

“:This corridor is home to major financial, energy, and education centers that people rely on every day,” explained U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Providing efficient, more reliable, and faster higher-speed passenger rail options to move between cities is crucial for the economy and the population to thrive.”

About 10 million people live along the 850-mile corridor which is expected to grow by 39 percent in Texas and 25 percent in Oklahoma city by 2035. Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer serves OKC to Fort Worth while the Texas Eagle runs from Fort Worth to San Antonio. The Sunset Limited serves Los Angeles to New Orleans through San Antonio.

Three sections make up the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. One is the Northern Section covering Edmond to Dallas and Fort Worth. he Central Section covers Dallas and Fort Worth to San Antonio. The Southern Section covers San Antonio to South Texas including Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley.

The first public hearing will be held Aug. 9 in Laredo at the TxDOT Laredo District office. the second hearing will be Aug. 10 in Austin at the Austin District Office of the TxDOT. The third and final hearing will be Aug. 11 in Arlington at the North Central Texas Council of Governments.