Members of the Texas Central High-Speed Railway say they are one step closer to building a train that they say can travel at 205 miles per hour. The bullet train will help bridge the gap between Dallas and Houston sometime around the year 2020.
The firm says the train will be built without public funding. Sources say the rail is being funded by the Central Japan Rail Company, the same company that currently handles more than 100 million passengers every year on its own bullet train system in Japan.
Previous efforts to build such a train have crumbled in the midst of airline opposition and the shunning of public funds. Those responsible for building the train say dealing with public finances will only slow down progress and could eventually lead to the train’s demise.
The train promises to shuttle passengers between Dallas and Houston is 90 minutes. Once that line is up and running, the company hopes to install another high-speed line between Austin and San Antonio.