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[quote user="CMStPnP"] Tx DOT already studied this Dallas to San Antonio route and they dispute many of the assertions you made above including that the existing right of way could be used for HSR.     You need to Google or write Governor Perry for the study.     Much of what I stated in my post came from the TxDOT review of this route. Again, they stated the route has to be largely relocated West of it's current location.    Now they were going to just give away the relocated roadbed to the frieght railways as compensation for taking control of the rail route that passes through the city centers for largely commuter rail.     So in effect they were not studying HSR but they made the statement in their research that the line to San Antonio had such a bad current location that frieght was backing up on it do to slower speeds through the city centers (yard limits, rr crossings, slow orders, etc).       So I really do not know how your plan is going to fix that.     Amtraks current schedule along the route is hopelessly slower than the automobile by a factor of 2 hours or more. [/quote] Why don't you give us the link to the TXDOT study? I am not talking about HSR.  I am talking about upgrading the former MKT route, using a public/private partnership to get it done.  The former MKT route runs from Fort Worth to Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, and Taylor, although a better option would be to route it from Granger to Georgetown and Round Rock. So, if you double tracked the line as per above, straightened out some of the curves, etc., you might possibly have a rail line that could support significantly higher speeds. Those who support HSR, especially in Texas, want to go from zero to 185 or 220 mph. I think a better option is to walk before running and to serve more intermediate communities.  The later approach is the one that has been used with success for the California corridors.   This past week I rode the Pacific Surfline from San Diego to LAX twice. I remember when it had just three trains a day each way.  Now there are approximately 11 trains a day each way.  As a result ridership on the Pacific Surfline trains topped reached 2.71 million last year. These trains carried more passengers in FY13 than any other State Sponsored and Other Short Distance trains. Only the NEC regional trains carried more passenger. A bullet train from Dallas to Houston will be great for people who live close to the downtown areas in both cities. It may pay for itself.  But better rail service along the I-35 corridor may be a better payoff for more people.
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