Updated at 3:35 p.m. Monday to include a link to a story about the court’s action Friday.
A high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston could be closer to reality after developers signed a contract with builders this month and the Texas Supreme Court declined Friday to hear the case against private development company Texas Central.
The court’s action potentially clears the way for the line, a major legal victory for project advocates that has seemingly ended a five-year battle between them and property owners determined to preserve land rights.
The case had been working its way through the Texas court system since 2019 when a district court in Leon County initially ruled the company was not a railroad, and therefore could not use eminent domain to seize the property it needed to build the route.
Texas Central also signed a $16 billion contract last week with Webuild, an engineering and construction company based in Milan, Italy.
According to a news release from the two companies, construction supplies are projected to cost $7.3 billion and the project’s construction will last six years. The project aims to create a number of construction and supply chain jobs during its building period.
The total infrastructure cost of the rail is estimated to be $20 billion, according to Texas Central.
The 240-mile high-speed rail would run from Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes, with a stop in the Brazos Valley, between College Station and Huntsville.
The company said the Dallas station is expected to be located in the Cedars, south of downtown, and connect to Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail lines. Texas Central said the station is intended to accelerate growth in the neighborhood and encourage retail and residential development.
But the project still faces hurdles, say U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady and others.
“This means nothing,” the Houston Republican said Friday in a prepared statement. “This project is no more ‘shovel ready’ than it was years ago when Texas Central Railroad announced construction would begin soon — and failed — nor does TCR have a single permit to begin construction. In fact, they have not even filed an application with the federal Surface Transportation Board — the first step in an arduous and lengthy permitting process that could take years.”
Plans for the high-speed rail have faced opposition for years, with opponents arguing that the private company would abuse eminent domain to develop the route. In September, the Federal Railroad Administration finalized two key regulatory processes for the project: one establishing safety requirements and another completing an environmental review process.
Patrick McShan, a Dallas attorney with The Beckham Group, told The Dallas Morning News last year that he believed Texas Central would face legal battles and that the project could end up before the Texas Supreme Court.
According to public plans from Texas Central, the railway will minimize disruptions to landowners by following “existing utility corridors and public rights-of-way as much as possible.” It says is plans to use eminent domain “only as a last resort.”
Texas Central has said the rail will implement Shinkansen trains, which began operating in Japan in 1964. The trains will be electric and are projected to emit less carbon per mile than a commercial jet.
“We are truly honored to have been chosen by Texas Central, that relies on our worldwide expertise to bring sustainable mobility to the country with the first true end-to-end high-speed railway,” Pietro Salini, CEO of the Webuild Group, said in the news release. “Being part of such a challenging project as leader of the design and construction of the railway is a unique experience that we are extremely proud of.”
Information from The Dallas Morning News archives contributed to this report.
