Amtrak jumps on board Texas' bullet train with ticketing and shuttle partnership
A conceptual digital rendering showing the North Texas passenger station for the Texas bullet train, proposed to be in the Cedars neighborhood of Dallas, just south of downtown, near the Interstate 30 and Interstate 35 interchange.
(Photo illustration by Texas Central Partners)
Amtrak and Texas Central announced a partnership Friday to link the proposed bullet train from Dallas to Houston to the national passenger rail network.
Passengers will be able to book their bullet train trips through Amtrak. The partnership also commits the high-speed rail operator to transport passengers between Amtrak's Dallas endpoint, Union Station, to the Texas Central's multilevel station between South Riverfront Boulevard and South Austin Street.
Texas Central will also provide similar shuttle service between the Amtrak endpoint and the former mall site it has chosen for a terminal in northwest Houston.
The $15 billion project will use Japanese technology to deliver a 90-minute ride, at speeds of about 200 mph, with a single stop near College Station. Amtrak currently does not have a connection between Dallas and Houston, having discontinued the service in 1995.
"Amtrak supports the development of high-speed train service throughout the United States as part of a national passenger rail system, capable of meeting the nation's transportation needs,"
Stephen Gardner, Amtrak's executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a written statement announcing the partnership.
The agreement also makes Amtrak training, marketing and sales capabilities available to Texas Central.
With the public input period closed, the Federal Railroad Administration is now working to complete a final environmental study of the train's 240-mile route.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2018/05/04/amtrak-jumps-board-texas-bullet-train-ticketing-shuttle-partnership