Jan 19th 2022 | Posted in Transportation by Texas Government Insider

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) DFW High-Speed Transportation Connections Study has entered the environmental phase in which it will focus on route alignment, potential station locations, and potential social and environmental impacts.
The study will evaluate route alignments along Interstate 30 between downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth, with a stop in the Arlington entertainment district.
NCTCOG’s study will assess high-speed rail, which can operate at up to 250 mph. Over the next two years, a study of potential environmental effects on air quality, noise, wetlands, wildlife, water crossings, and neighborhoods and businesses in the corridor will be conducted following federal guidelines.
The Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration will serve as the lead federal agencies during the National Environmental Policy Act study, while NCTCOG will continue to monitor the real-world readiness of hyperloop technology for future consideration.
In Phase 1, the study identified multiple possible locations for an Arlington station and prospective sites for the Fort Worth station in and around the city’s Central Business District. The location of the Dallas station has already been determined.
The study team also eliminated conventional rail, higher-speed rail and Maglev from consideration, leaving high-speed rail and hyperloop.
High-speed rail – commonly known as bullet train – has been in operation for decades in Asia and Europe. Hyperloop technology is still in development. Texas transportation planners envision a high-speed transportation loop connecting Houston, Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley.