Houston – Dallas – Fort Worth

These new corridors provide Texas residents with increased mobility options among Texas’s largest cities. The potential development of a new high-speed rail corridor between Dallas and Houston will be considered when determining the prioritization and development of these corridors

Although Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston are currently served by Amtrak, the last time the three cities were connected by a direct route was in the 1990s. Dallas-Forth Worth and Houston are the 4th and 5th largest U.S. metro areas, respectively. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area has a population of nearly 8 million, a 21% increase in the past decade. The Houston metropolitan area has a population of 7 million, a 22% increase from 2010.

The corridor is also a growing business hub, with 44 Fortune 500 companies calling the cities along the route home. Greater rail access will assist in continued business travel options. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 2000, both the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas have added over  1,000,000 jobs .  

Fort Worth is currently served by the Heartland Flyer, with connections to Oklahoma City and proposed service to Wichita and Newton, Kansas, and the Texas Eagle, with connections to Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Chicago. Houston is currently served by the Sunset Limited, which provides connections to Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Chicago.

• Fort Worth, TX
• DFW Airport (NEW)
• Dallas, TX
• Corsicana, TX (NEW)
• Hearne, TX (NEW)
• College Station, TX (NEW) 
• Navasota, TX (NEW)
• Houston, TX

In 2019, Houston was  rated in the top 20  of the most congested roadways in the country, despite multiple  multi-billion-dollar projects  expanding the width of highways, often at the expense of communities of color. The average Houston commuter incurred  $1,500 dollars in congestion costs in 2017 and wasted  31 gallons  of fuel. On average, 24,300 people travel between the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Houston every day, there are  900 monthly flights , or 30 per day, between the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and Houston. Amtrak would provide a more cost-effective and sustainable travel option between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

Houston – Dallas – Fort Worth Amtrak service would create new connections between major metropolitan cities, medium-sized cities, and colleges and universities. The volume of large universities suggests that there is a sizeable ridership market made up of college sports fans and student families. Students, their families, faculty, and staff will be able to take advantage of frequent Amtrak service to avoid traffic between destinations and to enjoy greater productivity or relaxation while they travel.

Colleges and universities served by the Houston – Dallas – Fort Worth corridor include: 

• Texas Christian University- (Student Population: 9,700) 
• Texas Wesleyan University- (Student Population: 2,600)
• Southern Methodist University- (Student Population: 12,000)
• University of Dallas- (Student Population: 26,000)
• The University of Texas-Dallas- (Student Population: 29,000)
• Paul Quinn College- (Student Population: 500)
• Navarro College- (Student Population: 1,800)
• Texas A&M University- (Student Population: 71,000) 
• University of Houston- (Student Population: 47,000)
• Rice University- (Student Population: 7,500)
• Texas Southern University- (Student Population: 9,700) 

“ Faster buses and more Amtrak train routes are proposed for Fort Worth .” Culture Map Fort Worth, Teresa Gubbins. Jun 17, 2021. 

“ Amtrak targets ‘Texas Triangle’ for corridor vision expansion plan .” Corridor News. Jun 8, 2021.  

“ Amtrak sets sights on Texas Triangle, frequent Houston service .” Houston Chronicle, Dug Begley. Jun 1, 2021.

" Amtrak considering addition of Bryan-College Station stop ." Bryan College Station Eagle, Megan Rodriguez. Apr 4, 2021.