Long-Delayed Texas High-Speed Rail Plan Moves Ahead As US, Japan Signal Support For $30 Billion Project

The multi-billion-dollar Texas high-speed rail project in the US received a crucial boost of public support on Wednesday during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's state visit to Washington, the first by a Japanese leader in nine years.

The project linking Dallas and Houston was among several named in a fact sheet published by the White House after the talks, outlining “political understandings” affirmed during the visit.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism welcomed Amtrak’s leadership of the Texas Central High-Speed Rail Project, utilizing Shinkansen technologies,” the fact sheet said.

“The successful completion of development efforts and other requirements would position the project for potential future funding and financing opportunities.”

The White House release highlighted that President Joe Biden discussed the plan to build the first high-speed rail in the US, using “shinkansen” bullet train technology from Central Japan Railway during his meeting with the Japanese leader in Washington.

The 240-mile (380 km) railway, which will be built and operated by Texas Central Partners and Amtrak, promises to revolutionise travel between the cities, slashing current travel times from three-and-a-half hours by car to just 90 minutes.

With an estimated cost of $25 billion to $30 billion, the project recently secured selection for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development grant programme. Japanese state lenders, including the Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC), have also provided loans to help develop the project.

Enthusiasts of the project anticipate that the support it has garnered from political circles will stimulate fresh public and private investments, breathing new life into this long-held idea.

However, challenges loom, both within Texas and the US Congress.

While local opposition concerns land and other issues, the project may face resistance from hardline Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives, who have objected to using public funds for rail projects in the past.

Nonetheless, the project's advancement would mark a significant win for the Biden administration's climate-conscious policies and rail infrastructure investment agenda.