Houston Metro, TxDOT beginning to study connectivity possibilities

The Woodlands continues to be discussed as playing a key role in the creation of a high-speed rail line connecting Houston and Dallas. Christoph Spieler, director of planning for Morris Architects, gave a presentation regarding high-speed rail to The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce's Mobility Team on Feb. 19. Spieler's report focused on rail systems in Europe and Asia, and primarily in cities of comparable size and distance to Houston and Dallas.

For example, the report studied lines between Seville and Madrid in Spain, Paris and Brussels in France, and Munich and Frankfurt in Germany.

According to Morris Architect's study, 80 to 100 percent of all commuters between each of those cities use high-speed rail rather than air travel or personal vehicles for travel.

In Morris' report, as well as those being studied by public and private entities, The Woodlands is being considered as a stop on the proposed line to Dallas.

"The Woodlands, among other places, is a very important stakeholder here," Spieler said. "There are big decisions coming up as to where will the stations be located."

Trains defined as "high-speed" are those that travel 150 miles per hour or more, Spieler said. Assuming that speed, travelers would be able to get from The Woodlands to Dallas in an hour and a half, he said, and to downtown Houston in 15 minutes.

One of the challenges facing the development of high-speed rail in the Houston market is how to extend a rail line into downtown Houston.

"Once you get into urban areas [developing high-speed rail] gets tougher," Spieler said. "The land is not there to accommodate it."

Houston Metro, he said, is "very early" in the process of studying connectivity of a potential high-speed rail line into downtown Houston.

Among the entities studying the feasibility of a regional high-speed rail system are the Texas Department of Transportation, the Gulf Coast Rail District and Texas Central High-Speed Railway, a private consortium that Spieler said has made some of the most significant progress.

The president of Texas High-Speed Rail is former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels.

Eckels said his group is continuing with market research for a high-speed rail system and expects the results of an investment market study by April.

"The high-speed rail is not independent of the rest of our [transportation] system," Eckels said. "It is going to impact freeways, commuter rails [and] transit. It interconnects [with Houston's transportation system], and it should."

Texas Central High-Speed Rail, a subsidy of Japanese High-Speed Rail, has estimated the development of a system could cost between $10 billion and $15 billion.

Maureen Crocker, executive director of the Gulf Coast Rail District, said the involvement of a private firm may be necessary since there likely would not be enough public money available for such a project.

"I think the plans from the state's perspective is to find a private entity [to develop high-speed rail]," Crocker said. "The State of Texas has no money for rail projects. It's a big problem going forward."

Crocker said the state has received a $15 million federal grant to conduct environmental work for a preliminary design connecting Houston to Dallas by high-speed rail. She said TxDOT will soon begin more extensive work into developing high-speed rail, including initiating a public input process and examining potential routes. Among the routes being considered is one along the I-45 corridor, one along Hwy. 6 through College Station and one along the Hwy. 249 corridor through Tomball.

Routes along Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 290 would not include stops in The Woodlands, according to TxDOT.

Eckels, Spieler and Crocker each said the most likely route for a high-speed rail line would be along the I-45 corridor, since there is available right-of-way and an existing UP Line.

However, Spieler said the UP line between downtown Houston and Dallas is heavily traveled by existing trains and the ability of high-speed rail trains obtaining travel time along that line could present challenges.

Spieler said a potential time frame for the development of a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas could be between 10 and 15 years.

"But that's being optimistic," he said.