Texas High Speed Conclusion

The proposed high-speed rail project in the Texas Triangle

has had a long and somewhat checkered history. Earlier ef-forts to implement this project through the private sector

failed for lack of financing, as well as from unrealistic expec-tations for instantaneous wealth, plus opposition from en-trenched real estate, oil, and other interests. While private-sector financing alone in theory can be justified for the Texas

Triangle high-speed rail project, in reality it is better conduct-ed as a joint public-private effort. Governor Perry’s Trans

Texas Corridor plan provides such an opportunity in concept,

but route specifics should be realized to favor existing railroad

rights-of-way whenever possible, instead of building toll

roads.

The Texas Triangle High Speed Rail Project can be com-pleted for $10 to $12 billion for the high-speed rail passenger

system alone. However, the total capital cost of the overall

Texas Triangle rail project would be increased to between $20

and $30 billion, when commuter rail and freight rail are in-cluded. The hauling of trucks in conjunction with passengers

makes the project especially beneficial in terms of its potential

revenues and economic benefits. The greatest benefits are in

the congestion, highway maintenance costs, and air pollution

emissions, during the time when Texas’s population is expect-ed to increase from the present 21 to 30 million by 2020, and

to as much as 50 million by 2050.

The model of France can be used as a guide for high-speed rail development in Texas, based on their extensive

high-speed rail development using primarily nuclear ener-gy for propulsion over the network. The fact that Texas is

considering a future high-speed rail passenger system

which could use the French TGV as a model is significant

(Figure 5), where announcements have been made to con-struct as many as six new nuclear reactors to augment the

four reactors already in operation. The recent...