Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="schlimm"] You make a good case for looking into relatively fast, if not true high speed corridors in Texas.  Using an incremental approach, what would be the rational starting city pairs?  [/quote] The most effective start-up route in Texas would be from Fort Worth to San Antonio. It could draw passengers  directly from Fort Worth, Arlington, Waco, Temple, Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio. It could also draw passengers from Dallas and Oklahoma City. Dallas passengers could use the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) for timed, across the platform connections in Fort Worth. Likewise Oklahoma City passengers could make across the platform transfers from the Heartland Flyer, or ideally its equipment would become a run through train to and from San Antonio. Providing direct service from Dallas to the I-35 corridor points mentioned above would require a significant rebuilding of the existing rail lines or construction of new track. The existing passenger rail route (BNSF from Fort Worth to Temple, and UP from Temple to San Antonio) parallels I-35, which is one of the most congested interstate highways in the U.S.  Moreover, significant portions of the roadway are being rebuilt, which is causing motorists a major headache. An alternative to driving could appeal to many of them. Relatively quick, frequent, reliable, comfortable, and economical trains might entice people out of their cars along the I-35 corridor. This would be especially true for people traveling just part of the distance, i.e. Fort Worth to Austin, where flying is not practicable. Many people along the NEC take the train out of habit.  But it is not a habit in most other parts of the country. If the authorities could implement better train service between the Texas anchor cities mentioned above, they might get more Texans to develop the train habit.  If the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited were discontinued, Amtrak or another operator would have the equipment necessary to offer at least three trains a day between the aforementioned cities. Less frequent service would not cut it.  Moreover, the scheduled running time between Fort Worth and San Antonio could be reduced by eliminating the dwell time in Fort Worth, as per the current Eagle schedule, and cutting the fat out of the Eagle's scheduled arrival time into San Antonio. Ultimately, if demand warranted the investment, a better option would be to upgrade the former MKT line (UP) from Fort Worth to Austin, thereby providing downtown service for Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, Georgetown, Round Rock and on into Austin. The other improvement that would be needed is better access into San Antonio.  Currently, the trains has to crawl down a back track to get to the Amtrak station. To add insult to injury, northbound trains have to back out of the station, which is a very slow process and adds greatly to the schedule. Currently TXDOT and OKDOT contribute approximately $1.5 million each for the Heartland Flyer, proving that states can cooperate to provide passenger rail services.  However, what is missing in Texas is the will and means to develop the aforementioned corridor. It is not likely to happen until people get thoroughly frustrated with the growing highway congestion and demand better alternatives to driving.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag