6 DALLAS Business JOURNAL cover story PROPOSED HIGH-SPEED Statewide RAIL ROUTES BY TCR view Nearly 50,000 Texans commute between Dallas and Houston more than once per week. Texas Central Railway’s nearly 240-mile high-speed rail link will offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between the two cities. In Dallas County, the proposed routes run mostly parallel to Interstate 45.

Impact on DART 35E 30 Here’s what DART plans to do for the high- 635 speed rail integration with its network: Dallas 20 RRExpand passenger platforms for the Red and Blue Lines so DART can run three-car trains throughout the system. Adding one 45 car increases capacity by 150 passengers. Dallas County RRConnect the M-Line Trolley in Uptown to Ellis the new Dallas Streetcar system in Oak By the Cliff. numbers RRBuild a new north-south DART line through downtown that takes the Orange and Potential economic Proposed concept for DART/ Green Lines to a new station at the east impact of the project, high-speed rail connector in Dallas at end of Young Street. This would provide a according to TCR: seamless connection to DFW International Young Street near Union Station. Airport. 10,000 SUBMITTED RENDERING Full-time jobs during construction Navarro 45 $10B Economic impact Travel times and departures during construction Freestone Departures will be adjusted for morning and afternoon rush hours, with 68 trips between the two cities each day. 750 Peak periods: Departures every 30 minutes Ongoing full-time jobs Off-peak: Departures every hour $120M Limestone Economic impact of annual operations 210 90 65 minutes minutes minutes Leon

By car BY BULLET By AIRPLANE Number 45 TRAIN Other of stops competition PLANE VS. TRAIN TCR doesn’t have While flights are shorter, proponents say high-speed rail plans to expand the New startups are offers several advantages: network beyond jumping on the Dallas to RRConnectivity: Travelers can stay connected with the Dallas and Houston, Houston route providing web, email, text messages and phone calls for the but the company Madison even more options. duration of the 90-minute trip. says the project RRRise, an app-based could create a RRConvenient security: There will be no extended security air service, will backbone for future checkpoint, such as with the Transportation Security launch this month expansion in San Administration at an airport. with Beechcraft King Antonio and Austin. Walker RRDowntown-to-downtown: There would be need to take a Air 350s providing cab or rent a car to get to the heart of Houston or Dallas, service from Dallas to Bryan-College as from an airport. Houston, Austin and Station Midland. Members TCR officials Bryan/ Who will take the train? pay a monthly fee for confirmed that a Business travel is the primary market for the project, but unlimited flights. limited number of College advance ticket sales will be targeted to college students RRVonlane is a luxury trains will stop near Station and sports fans. The service isn’t being marketed to bus service that here. general travelers. already connects Dallas to Austin and The Woodlands will start Houston Residents are Montgomery service in March. lobbying for a The full-size coach stop near the buses are outfitted upscale suburb Grimes like corporate jets and north of Houston. seat 22 passengers, But that would The instead of the usual require re-routing Woodlands 56. There’s a private the train route into conference room in Houston following Harris back. Tickets are $100 Interstate 45 rather each way. The bus than the current 45 BNSF Option 1 could make stops in utility or freight The Woodlands, too. line. Houston

Waller 10 Utility alignment

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ROB SCHNEIDER/Dallas Business Journal