The RPA provides the regulatory framework for Texas Central Railroad, establishing a comprehensive set of safety requirements that will govern the high-speed rail system’s signal and trainset control, track, rolling stock, operating rules and practices, system qualifications, and maintenance. This RPA is based on a systems approach to safety which incorporates accident avoidance measures that are more stringent than those required for conventional U.S. rail operations.
The system Texas Central Railroad proposes to build in Texas will replicate the service-proven Japanese Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system, as operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JRC). Texas Central chose this system because of its reputation as being one of the safest and most punctual train systems in the world.
The ROD completes the FRA’s environmental review process that began in 2014 as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and culminated with the publication of the over 10,000 page Final Environmental Impact Statement. The ROD also formally selects the alignment that Texas Central Railroad will follow between Dallas and Houston.
“This is the moment we have been working towards,” said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad. “The release of the final RPA and ROD by the Federal Railroad Administration represents years of work by countless individuals, affirming a very thorough and careful federal regulatory process that will make the Texas Central Railroad the first high-speed rail system to be implemented in the United States.”
Major Milestones Reached in 2020
Regulatory:
- May 21: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its preliminary designation affirming the FRA selected route as the Least Environmentally Damaging Proposed Alternative.
- May 29: FRA released the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
- July 17: Surface Transportation Board confirmed jurisdiction over the Texas Central project.
- September 10: FRA issued its RPA and ROD, establishing Federal safety standards under which Texas Central Railroad will operate the high-speed train.
Legal:
- May 7: The 13th Court of Appeals of Texas issued a unanimous ruling confirming Texas Central’s status as a Railroad under Texas Law.
Land:
- Texas Central has control of over 600 parcels of land needed for the project.
- Texas Central has control of the three station sites in Dallas, Houston, and the Brazos Valley.
Jobs and Impact:
- Texas Central is ready to build and will proceed to construction as soon as possible to contribute to the nation’s COVID-19 recovery.
- This project will create more than 17,000 direct jobs during the six years of construction and over 20,000 supply chain jobs.
- This project will have over $10 billion in immediate economic impact across the U.S.
- The project will inject an estimated $36 billion in economic benefits over its first 25 years.
