In less than 20 minutes, Temple train passengers could be in Austin. In about an hour, they could be in Houston and in less than that amount of time they could be in Dallas.
Right now, those travel times are just part of the vision of the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corp.
“This is about time,” Robert Eckels, chairman of the THSRTC executive committee, told members and visitors at Thursday’s quarterly meeting. “This is about shrinking the state. Really, it’s about transforming Texas.”
The group proposes one high-speed rail line linking the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with San Antonio, and another stretching from Temple to Houston.
This is not the old Texas Triangle, a high-speed rail plan that died in the ’80s.
This time, Eckels said, the corporation has the support of the major counties and cities along the route, as well as American Airlines and Continental Airlines. The Army also supports the proposal, he said, because direct rail to the coast and major metro areas would benefit members of the military and their families.
While the corporation has a plan, it has no major funding yet, although a large delegation of U.S. representatives and Texas’ two senators support the idea.
Seed money is being sought from Congress, however.
Eckels said it’s likely that more private money than public money will be raised to build the system, which today would cost roughly $20 million per mile to construct across Texas.
Temple Mayor Bill Jones, vice chairman of the executive committee, told the group about recent tours of factories and rail lines in Europe and initial efforts to forge partnerships for financing.
In May, members of the executive committee will travel to Taiwan, Korea and Shanghai to see high-speed rail facilities there, too.
The kind of system that will be built in Texas is yet to be determined, he said, noting, “We’re open to options.”
Gary Schmidt, representing the Temple Economic Development Corp., said his group is very excited about the prospects for Temple.
If commute times were cut significantly, he said, more people might be inclined to live in Temple and work in Houston, Dallas or Austin - and vice versa.
The rail service would also benefit Scott & White Hospital, which draws patients from around the world, he said.
In fact, Scott & White Hospital was the first private institutions to join the THSRTC.
cwilson@temple-telegram.com
