Dallas-to-Houston High Speed Rail Unveils Brazos Valley Station

HOUSTON, TX — The proposed developer of high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas looks to be back on track as they released drawings of the Brazos Valley terminal. The developer, Texas Central Partners (TCP), has pledged to invest more than $1 billion in Grimes County for the project's only stop between the two major metropolitan areas.

TCP on Thursday released new details on their planned passenger station in Roans Prairie to service Brazos Valley residents. The terminal will be built on 60 acres in Roans Prairie, located along Highway 30 just west of Highway 90.

The Brazos Valley station will be the only stop on the route, and it's substantially closer to Houston than Dallas. The Federal Railroad Administration’s Draft Environmental Impact Survey identified a preferred route that mostly follows transmission lines in a utility corridor between North Texas and Houston.

Roans Prairie is a small community in Grimes County that's just six minutes down Highway 90 from county seat Anderson.

TCP's plans call for a shuttle service that will directly link Texas A&M University to the station and other nearby connections. The Roans Prairie terminal will be a 30-minute ride to the Houston terminal and 50 minutes to Dallas. The rail is expected to reach speeds of 200 mph on some stretches.

Officials say the bullet train project will eventually create 1,000 full-time jobs as well as 10,000 new jobs during each year of construction. Of the 1,000 new jobs with the rail once it's completed, 124 of those jobs will be in Grimes County.

The rail hasn't gone without controversy, though. Landowners in the rural counties along the route have fought back against the project, stating that it'll eventually cost taxpayers dollars as well as the unpopular theory that a private business will be taking eminent domain of land. Some landowners say the rail will cut right through their properties that have been in the family for as many as six and seven generations.

Last August, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner signed a memorandum of understanding with TCP to ensure the city was on board with the project.

Turner said Texas Central's unique investor-led model, combined with the immense scale of the more than $10 billion project, creates a real opportunity for Houston – which so dominated Texas rails that it once was known as the place "where 17 railroads meet the sea."

"As I shared in my State of Mobility address, Houston needs a paradigm shift - a comprehensive approach to mobility that includes all forms of transportation," Turner said. "Certainly, a high-speed train to Dallas is a glowing idea among the options, especially when state transportation officials project traffic congestion on Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas will double by 2035, increasing travel time from about 4 hours to more than 6.5 hours. Simply building more highways is not the answer."

Houston businessman Drayton McLane Jr., a member of the Texas Central board of directors and former owner of the Houston Astros, said the project is a game-changer - a new transportation choice that's fast, safe, reliable and productive.

"The bullet train is the next great deal for Texas. This demonstrates how the free market can play an integral part in addressing America's enormous infrastructure opportunities. The agreement continues the project's momentum and shows the nation—and the rest of the world—how Texas does big things the right way for the public good," McLane said.

The project is expected to generate $36 billion in direct economic activity over the next 25 years, create more than 10,000 direct jobs per year during construction and up to 1,000 jobs permanently when operational. The agreement says many of these jobs will involve construction within the city, including building the rail line and the Houston passenger station.

Photos via Texas Central Partners