Austin left out of major rail investment despite population surge
Published: Sat, 12/09/23
Austin left out of major rail investment despite population surge
The Federal Railroad Administration announced it will funnel billions of dollars for major railway projects across the country Dec. 8.
(Courtesy Pexels)
Community Impact
By Katy McAfee
Updated
The Federal Railroad Administration announced it will funnel billions of dollars for major railway projects across the country Dec. 8, none of which include Austin, despite its rapid population growth.
The details
The FRA will spend $8.2 billion on 10 major rail projects across the country—including the nation’s first high-speed rail between Las Vegas and Southern California. The FRA also announced the 69 recipients of the Corridor Identification and Development Program. The finalists will receive up to
$500,000 to study and plan passenger railways.
Texas rail projects that received funding through the Corridor ID program include:
- A high-speed rail from Dallas to Houston with a stop in Brazos Valley
- A high-speed rail connecting Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston with stops in Arlington and Brazos Valley
- A conventional intercity passenger rail connecting Houston and San Antonio with stops in Rosenberg, Flatonia and Seguin
- A conventional intercity passenger rail connecting Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston with stops in Corsicana, Hearne, College Station and Navasota
- An intercity passenger rail connecting Dallas to Meridian, Mississippi
High-speed rails are railways that operate at speeds of 186 mph or greater and are usually built on new, dedicated alignment.
Conventional rails are railways that operate at speeds of 79-125 mph, and are primarily built on existing rail alignments shared with other railroad operations.
The context
The news that Austin did not receive funding for any new railways, specifically its proposed Austin to San Antonio project, comes after months of lobbying from local leaders.
In late November, Mayor Kirk Watson testified in front of the Subcommittee of Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials in Washington, D.C., about the need for intercity rails in Central Texas.
Watson cited the region's booming growth as the Travis-Bexar county region has about 5 million residents now and is expected to reach over 8 million by 2050, while a lack of reliable public transportation infrastructure remains.
“There is only one train from Dallas to Austin, the Texas Eagle,” Watson said. “The Texas Eagle is a long-distance train that begins in Chicago and ends in San Antonio. It takes more than six and a half hours to travel the 230 miles from Dallas to Austin. That’s if it’s on time.”
Travis County Judge Andy Brown has also been pushing for Central Texas to be included in a high-speed rail project from Houston to Dallas, as well as a line connecting Austin, San Antonio and the Nuevo Leon region in Mexico.
“The FRA’s failure to include the Travis-Bexar county corridor is a significant missed opportunity to support responsible growth and investment across Central Texas,” Brown said in a Dec. 8 news release. “We live in one of the most dynamic and booming regions in the world without passenger rail. We will work closely with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to make this a priority for the next round of investments.”