Details:

Creators:
Carroll, Todd ; Walton, C. Michael
Carroll, Todd ; Walton, C. Michael Less -
Corporate Creators:
University of Texas at Austin. Center for Transportation Research
Corporate Contributors:
Texas Transportation Institute
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
High Speed Ground Transportation High Speed Rail High Speed Trains--Texas--Planning Special Trains Transportation Planning
Publication/ Report Number:
SWUTC/11/476660-00076-1 ; Report 476660-00076-1
SWUTC/11/476660-00076-1 ; Report 476660-00076-1 Less -
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
Texas
Edition:
Research report; Sept. 2010-Aug. 2011.
Corporate Publisher:
Southwest Region University Transportation Center (U.S.)
Abstract:
Texas features a growing economy and population. The state boasts a large and well-developed

network of roads, freight railroads, and air facilities, which make the state a vital link in the movement of

people and goods. However, as the state continues to grow in population and economic significance, these

systems are straining to meet state, national, and even global needs. It is increasingly obvious to residents

and state officials that Texas should consider implementing alternative modes of transport, including

development of passenger rail, for which Texas currently lags behind many of its peer states. Passenger

rail provides quantifiable benefits in displacing less energy-efficient and higher pollutant-emitting air and

automobile modes while generating potential positive economic impacts and enhancing consumer choice

and multimodalism. Conveniently, renewed national interest in rail has invigorated research measuring

the applicability of passenger rail services to many different regions of the United States, with the

possibility that future national transportation visions will include passenger rail as an essential element.

This thesis seeks to clarify the potential for passenger rail specifically in Texas through comparison and

contrast with other regions and nations in the midst of new national-level knowledge and the changing

transportation opportunities and challenges facing the state. Some of the ideal characteristics of successful

international passenger systems exist in Texas, including optimal city spacing and a well-established rail

network, which have fuelled ongoing interest demonstrated by various system proposals for high-speed

intercity transportation in Texas over the last four decades. Despite these characteristics, the state presents

a number of barriers to rail transport rooted in low transit use coupled with generally lower density and

ambivalent support from politicians and residents when officials present realities of eminent domain and

land use changes. However, with revitalized national rail interest and new federal rail planning

requirements, the state may yet be able to work through these challenges to exploit the opportunities the

state possesses.


Format:
PDF
Funding:
DTRT07-G-0006
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection University Transportation Centers
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:83eeb04c3aefb27a1c33f8508560bd78bebb13b4bf22cd5009ed6ee33fa63584
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/23866/dot_23866_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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