Amtrak has released an advance notice to initiate procurement for a project partner to bring a 240-mile high-speed rail line to connect Dallas and Houston. The company is expected to publish a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in late March or early April soliciting a delivery partner to help manage the program, design work, construction, quality management and procurement.
The project highlighted in the notice will build a grade-separated, high-speed rail system between the fourth and fifth most populated urban centers in the country. Once completed, the rail will provide 90-minute trips across the intercity region with an intermediate stop in Brazos. Designs estimate the train will reach top speeds of up to 205 mph.
The state has been without a dedicated train route between Dallas and Houston for nearly three decades after the original line was closed down. Plans to create a new high-speed route have been in the works intermittently for years, briefly falling to the sidelines before Amtrak revived it in 2023.
The prospect of a high-speed rail connecting metropolitan areas has been of significant interest to Texas lawmakers for years. House Bill 483 was introduced in November 2024 advocating for state funding to support the development of high-speed rail lines along the Interstate 35 Corridor, connecting major hubs including Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Once issued, the RFQ will be the first of a two-step procurement process to receive Statement of Qualifications from prospective companies. Amtrak plans to create a shortlist of responders that will be allowed to submit to an upcoming Request for Proposals.
(Photo courtesy of Pixabay.)
