Fort Worth-area motorists could face increasingly longer commute times in the future as North Texas’ population is projected to boom by 4 million people within the next 25 years.
But experts differ on whether the proposed bullet train route that includes Fort Worth and Arlington could be a solution to ease traffic congestion that is expected to worsen by 2050.
Motorists traveling from the high-growth areas in the northern, southwestern and western parts of the city could face commutes of up to 120 minutes as they head east toward a Dallas high-speed rail station, data from the North Central Texas Council of Governments shows.
Officials from the government policy group, which distributes federal and state transportation dollars, along with the related but independent Regional Transportation Council, are studying and planning transportation projects as part of a $217.3 billion long-range plan.
While a proposed Dallas-to-Houston bullet train route could aid morning commuters on the eastern side of the metro region by 2050, a passenger route from Fort Worth would have a broader impact — even lessening commutes from now-booming parts of adjacent Denton, Johnson, Wise and Parker counties, according to the council of governments.
Regional officials are studying four economic impact reports related to a bullet train proposal by Texas Central Railway. The company is led by Fort Worth businessman John Kleinheinz, the principal investor.
A map shows the proposed alignment for a high-speed rail corridor from Fort Worth and Arlington to Dallas. The route includes tunneled and elevated portions of track. The alignment will be considered for a National Environmental Policy Act review by federal officials.(Courtesy image | North Central Texas Council of Governments)
Brendon Wheeler, a senior program manager for the council of governments, said data shows anticipated traffic benefits from high-speed rail in the decades to come.
“We’re trying to leverage planning for high-speed rail connectivity between major metros — like the Dallas-to-Houston line — and extend that service across the region,” Wheeler said. “If it’s just in one part of the region, that’s good, but it doesn’t give access to the full 8 million people (in North Texas) today, let alone 12 million people by 2050.”
Even with $217.3 billion in investments approved by the Regional Transportation Council, Wheeler said, “it’s going to put a severe strain on our infrastructure.”
“That not only has impacts to regional travel, but intercity travel,” Wheeler said. “Just getting out of the city for, say, a road trip, (time in traffic) can almost feel like half your road trip.”
Traveling by car across North Texas will be worse in 25 years.
“It will take you a good hour to two hours to drive to wherever you wish to go in the metroplex in 2050 just because of traffic,” Wheeler said. “So you’ve spent more time in traffic in Dallas-Fort Worth than going 240 miles between Dallas and Houston (on high-speed rail).”
A graphic shows the projected traffic commuter times for North Texas motorists in 2050 if one high-speed rail station is built in Dallas. Commuters to the north and west of Fort Worth could face commute times of up to 120 minutes if they head east to Dallas County. (Courtesy image | North Central Texas Council of Governments)
The goal of high-speed rail in North Texas, he said, is to provide better transit access to Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, the region’s largest cities.
“Those travel time maps show the congestion in 2050 in those drive-times to potential stations,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler said Fort Worth-area residents would be more likely to use high-speed rail if there are stations in Fort Worth and Arlington since they would not be inclined to drive more than an hour to reach a high-speed station in Dallas.
The proposed high-speed rail routes aim to connect a broader system that links cities, particularly those within the Texas Triangle, the megaregion that includes North Texas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. A connection from Fort Worth could eventually lead to a line south along Interstate 35 to Austin, San Antonio and Mexico, Wheeler said.
“As the Texas Triangle grows, you’re starting to see more interaction between these major metros. The world is getting smaller,” Wheeler said. “The issue is our highway system, as we know, not only can’t keep up, but the travel along the highway system is expected to get slower. As the world gets smaller, somehow, our travel is getting slower.”
Along with high-speed rail, officials are planning to double-track sections of the Trinity Railway Express line between downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas.
“Dallas-Fort Worth is the fastest-growing large region in the country. It has been for the past 10 years. It’s not looking to stop,” Wheeler said. “We’re at a rate of 2 million people every 10 years. We’re growing quite rapidly, and we need to find solutions for getting people opportunities to continue to move here, continue to have a good quality of life and find ways to move around the Texas Triangle.”
Another graphic shows the projected improvement in traffic commuter times for North Texas motorists in 2050 if high-speed rail stations are built in Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas. (Courtesy image | North Central Texas Council of Governments)
Another view
Texans love their cars, said Stephen P. Mattingly, a civil engineering professor and director of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. That’s why high-speed rail may work better between major cities rather than within metropolitan areas since he sees it as a major competitor with air travel than vehicular travel.
“When we’re talking about traveling between cities like Dallas and Houston, something like that makes sense,” Mattingly said. “My previous studies have indicated that high-speed rail really goes well for trips 90 minutes (to about) two, maybe three hours.
“Once you get beyond three hours,” he said, “it really doesn’t play much of a role” in relieving traffic congestion.
High-speed rail, if connected to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, could work better as a regional transportation tool to compete with passenger airlines, Mattingly said.
He said the northeastern U.S. and Europe are markets that have supportive infrastructure for rail projects, environments crucial to the success of a route.
Amtrak and Altrom USA launched new NextGen Acela trains that can reach up to 160 miles per hour. The service from Washington, D.C., to Boston started on Aug. 28. (Courtesy photo | Amtrak)
In late August, Alstom USA and Amtrak launched a new $187 million route with faster trains that runs from Washington, D.C., to New York and Boston. The NextGen Acela trains can reach speeds up to 160 miles per hour.
In those areas, Mattingly said, riders can be dropped off at a train station and likely reach their destination exclusively by rail.
“That’s not exactly the case here in Texas,” Mattingly said. “If you get dropped off at a station … you’re not likely to get to your final destination on that particular train.”
Mattingly said a proposed high-speed rail route from Fort Worth and Arlington along Interstate 30 to Dallas may not work as well as intended.
“It’s a tough sell for me,” Mattingly said of the route. “I’m concerned that the high-speed rail isn’t even going to get up to high-speed rail speed. It’s going to accelerate, then it has to decelerate (in Arlington) immediately before it even reaches its cruising speed.”
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said he supports the I-30 route through Arlington since it would provide regional transportation to the city’s notable sports and entertainment venues that include Six Flags Over Texas and stadiums for the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. The city lacks a comprehensive transit system but provides some options, such as on-demand rideshare service.
Mattingly said the Fort Worth extension might be more cost-effective if it is built along Airport Freeway rather than I-30 since there are several rail stations throughout northeast Tarrant County.
“I certainly believe that high-speed rail is a good investment, but it needs to be in the right environments where it can be successful and thrive,” he said.
Effective example
Peter LeCody, president of Texas Rail Advocates, said high-speed rail routes are most effective when riders don’t switch trains to get on a bullet train — the intent of the Fort Worth and Arlington connection.
During a visit to Switzerland last year, LeCody said he traveled on a high-speed route that connected a major airport with a thriving downtown business district.
“There were a ton of people getting on and off that train,” he said.
Meanwhile, North Texas officials said about 95% of the preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for the high-speed rail corridor has been completed. Final approval is expected in 2026.
Council of governments staff is coordinating with the Texas Department of Transportation for an integrated I-30 design. Although the approved high-speed rail station would be south of downtown Dallas, officials reviewed two western Dallas alternatives, including the Trinity Groves planned high-rise project and the Lew Sterrett Justice Center complex site that officials plan to redevelop.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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