After two possible rail routes were identified by the Federal Railroad Administration last fall, Texas Central Railway announced its final corridor recommendation Feb. 17 for the proposed construction of a 240-mile, high-speed rail from Houston to Dallas by 2021.

TCR officials recommend the Federal Railroad Administration move forward with consideration of the utility corridor that travels near part of Hwy. 290 in Harris County north through Grimes County for the rail line.

"We selected the utility corridor as the best alternative because it satisfies the goals of the project to provide safe, reliable, and economically viable high-speed rail service between Houston and Dallas," said David Hagy, executive director for community outreach for TCR.

According to TCR, officials plan to recommend the FRA also consider the inclusion of an alternative path along the I-10 corridor to reach a possible station in downtown Houston. TCR is expected to work with city of Houston officials to evaluate the logistics of the additional potential route.

The previous route up for consideration traveled along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line and would have moved through Tomball, Magnolia and other parts of Montgomery County.

"Today's announcement demonstrates that high-speed rail is on its way to becoming a reality in Texas." - Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress

TCR plans to move forward with investigating alternative paths along the utility corridor to accommodate potential conflicts with homes and businesses and submit additional information to the FRA for further analysis during the environmental review process.

Currently in the early stages of the EIS, the review process will take 18–24 months to complete, TCR officials said.

"Today's announcement demonstrates that high-speed rail is on its way to becoming a reality in Texas," said Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, of the announcement. "This private, for-profit effort will provide another travel option for the Houston-to-Dallas corridor, help reduce traffic congestion and create thousands of jobs, all without using the state's limited transportation dollars."

A project unique to the U.S., the high-speed rail would travel from Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes, according to TCR.