The prospect of a high-speed rail system bridging Fort Worth and Dallas has surged forward as regional planners earmark an additional $1.7 million for a study to explore an alternative alignment. According to NBC DFW, the North Central Texas Council of Governments will propose an increased budget for the rail study at the upcoming Regional Transportation Council meeting.
The proposed route is slated to go east from Fort Worth, skirting downtown Dallas to the southwest, and tying into an already greenlit station in The Cedars. This station is poised to play a central role, acting as a junction for the much-anticipated Houston-Dallas high-speed rail, ultimately extending a high-velocity olive branch to Fort Worth. The alternative course was initially put forth to the RTC this past July.
The Regional Transportation Council, as detailed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, functions as the policy-making authority for transportation planning in the metropolitan area. Comprising 45 local elected or appointed officials and representatives from regional transportation providers, the council handles the allocation of funds and development of transportation plans across multiple modes of travel, all while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations.
Meanwhile, Dallas city officials persist in efforts to connect this future network with the new downtown convention center, a project currently under construction. An economic study on the high-speed rail's impact on Dallas is expected to commence in October after a unanimous resolution by the Dallas City Council declared no endorsement of new elevated rail lines through the city's core before such analysis. "The convention center is going to keep moving forward regardless of what happens with high-speed rail," District 1 Councilmember Chad West said, as per NBC DFW.
