James Maughan, environmental impact statement lead for the Federal Railroad Administration, said the possible routes include the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail route near Hwy. 249 and a utility corridor near Hwy. 290.
Maughan said nine routes were evaluated from the standpoint of economics, construction costs, travel time, environmental concerns and economic viability to determine how many passengers could be expected to use the line.
"We did a comparison based on those factors," Maughan said. "Two of the nine alignments seemed to be advantageous in all categories."
Maughan said the BNSF option scored highly as a potential route because it is already a rail corridor.
The high-speed rail project is proposed to be developed by Texas Central Railway, or TCR, a private, for-profit group. The multibillion dollar rail project would be funded through private entities and would not require any public funds, said David Hagy, executive director of community outreach for TCR. Ticket prices are expected to compare with national airline carrier tickets.
Several of the initial proposed routes traveled along I-45. However, the corridor was eliminated from future consideration due to its design, Maughan said. The I-45 corridor was designed for automobiles to travel up to 100 mph, he said. However, the high-speed train planned for the project would travel 205 mph, so the curves along the route would be problematic.
"The I-45 corridor—we looked at closely and gave it full consideration—but compared to the others, it did not score as well," Maughan said.
Maughan said the potential I-45 route also has several entrances and exits into developments, such as fast-food restaurants and hotels, that would hinder the development of the rail line.
In a Nov. 13 letter to TxDOT, The Woodlands Township asked the agency to reconsider the I-45 corridor in its environmental impact statement, or EIS.
"In Montgomery County alone, the population is projected to increase from 500,000 to 1.1 million by 2040," the township stated in its letter. "This fact argues for inclusion of the [I-45] corridor in the [environmental impact statement] evaluation."
Public input sessions
In conjunction with TCR, officials with the FRA and URS Corporation held 12 meetings last fall for city leaders and residents in areas along the proposed high-speed rail routes to gather public input. Comments received by Jan. 9 were included in the project's scoping report, and any additional input received will be included in the draft environmental impact statement document. The scoping report is expected to be available for the public in early February, Hagy said.
A number of Greater Houston area residents voiced their concerns about the high-speed rail line at a Dec. 3 public meeting in Tomball. Several residents questioned the overall necessity of the railway, and a lack of information conveyed to the public about the routes, and they expressed concerns about possible infringement on their homes and properties.
The two proposed routes include the BNSF railway path projected to travel through the Tomball area, and the other utility route expected to travel through the Cy-Fair area before continuing north to Dallas.
Jerry Smiley, transit and rail group manager of the Texas, Gulf and Mountain regions for URS, said rail officials are reviewing a number of pathways to determine exact station placements along the final selected route.
Three stations are proposed, including one in the downtown Houston area, another in the Dallas area and one intermediate stop expected in the Bryan/College Station area, Smiley said.
Environmental impact
Part of the EIS review process includes FRA approval of the final route. TCR must carry out the environmental review on the approved route to ensure it is in accordance with federal law. The draft EIS is expected to be complete in late summer or fall, additional public hearings will be held this fall, and the final EIS document is slated to be assembled in spring 2016, Maughan said.
Following a decision on the final alignment estimated by summer or fall 2016, TCR could break ground by the end of 2016 or early 2017, TCR President Robert Eckels said. TCR officials anticipate a four-year construction period, followed by one year of testing and commissioning before accepting its first paying riders.
A project unique to the U.S., the train would travel from Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes, according to TCR. The rail line would use bullet train technology, a design that has been in use in Japan for 50 years.
Eckels said he believes high-speed rail will be a boon to economic development and growth in Texas.
