Passenger Railways May Be On The Horizon For Texans

What do you think about skipping cruddy traffic and opting for a ride on a passenger train to get across Texas instead? It doesn't sound half bad and it might be on the horizon for us. Some Texas policymakers are mulling over the idea of adding passenger railways to help curb the chronic congestion on Texas highways.

Texas Central worked toward a solution for some of the terrible traffic in our state for roughly 10 years, but, problems with securing land and the overall leadership of the project pushed the addition of a passenger railway to the wayside. They planned to add a speed rail to allow passengers to ride from Dallas to Houston in only 90 minutes, shaving 2-hours off the average drive time between the metroplexes. Amtrak has taken over the failed railway plans and believes rail lines in Texas could spur a national expansion for passenger trains.

According to the Texas Tribune, Texas is projected to grow to a population of 47 million by the year 2050. If you think sitting in traffic sucks now, it's only a matter of time before it's way worse. I can't complain much here in Lubbock, but I've done my fair share of driving in bigger cities. It's not much fun.

A 90-minute commute from Dallas to Houston sounds like a great start. What other parts of Texas do you think could benefit from passenger railways? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a comment on this article or reach me at Chrissy.Covington@townsquaremedia.com.

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