DALLAS — A Dallas delegation traveling to Tokyo to experience high speed rail will have five meetings over the five days they will be in Japan on the public dime, according to a copy of the itinerary obtained by WFAA.
Along the way, the nearly-dozen elected officials and staffers will stay at luxury hotels in Tokyo and Nagoya, including one that said it has hosted presidents and prime ministers and another that claims to be one of the best in Japan.
The itinerary shows a full day of sightseeing and a second full day with no scheduled events on the trip, which will be funded by the city's hotel occupancy tax dollars. One City Hall source estimated the total cost of the trip for nearly a dozen people could near $50,000.
The itinerary shows meetings with officials from the American embassy and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Members of the city's delegation will also tour the Japan Rail Central Operation Control Center and have a dinner with officials from the railway.
After a bullet train ride from Tokyo to Nagoya, councilmembers and city staff will tour another rail facility and hear a presentation on development around high speed rail train stations, according to the itinerary shared with city councilmembers Monday night by Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.
On the final day of the trip, the schedule shows the delegation will meet with the governor of the Aichi Prefecture, before returning to Tokyo on the bullet train and flying back to the United States Tuesday.
In addition to Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Omar Narvaez and Councilmembers Gay Donnell Willis and Jesse Moreno, whose district includes the proposed high-speed train station, five city staffers are on the trip, according to Tolbert.
Molly Carroll, the city’s manager for the high-speed rail project, and Dev Rastogi, the assistant city manager who oversees transportation, traveled to Japan Wednesday, along with two staffers from the international division of the city's Office of Government and Legislative Affairs, according to the itinerary. Interim assistant city manager Robin Bentley is also on the trip.
Tolbert herself had initially been included in the list of participants on the trip, but decided early last week not to attend, a city spokesperson said.
"Our team will gain invaluable insights into the technical, economic, and social aspects of high-speed rail. This knowledge will enable us to make informed decisions on how best to integrate this transformative technology into Dallas," Tolbert wrote in a memo accompanying the itinerary. "This visit is essential for understanding how a high-speed rail system can be tailored to meet Dallas’s unique needs and contribute to the city’s long-term economic growth and vibrancy."
During the trip, the dozen participants will stay in luxury hotels in Tokyo and Nagoya. The New Otani Tokyo Hotel features a 400 year-old Japanese garden and was awarded four stars by the Forbes Travel Guide, according to its website. In Nagoya, the city delegation will stay at the five-star Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, which claims to be regarded as "one of the 18 best hotels in Japan."
Tolbert said in the memo the idea for the Japan trip was conceived following a city delegation's opportunity to view high-speed rail in Barcelona Spain in 2023.
"Initially, it is my understanding, the plan was to go in early 2024," Tolbert wrote. "The trip was anticipated to happen in October 2024; however, due to schedule coordination issues, the trip was confirmed for November 2024, which would maximize opportunities to meet with key officials in Japan."
Ahead of the trip, Tolbert said participants learned proper Japanese etiquette from the Japan America Society of Dallas-Fort Worth and the Honorary Consul of Japan.
"You need to understand fully what we’re possibly getting into. The vast majority of us haven't used high speed rail or been around it," said Narvaez, the only member of city council in the delegation to provide comment about the trip. "We have got to get this and we have got to get this right."
He said Monday the trip is critical to deciding the future of high-speed rail in Dallas.
"I wouldn’t be going if I thought it wasn’t a good use of public money," Narvaez said.
Last month, City Councilmembers unanimously approved a $566,000 contract for an economic development study into the possibility of a high-speed rail connection between Dallas and Houston.
The City Council will eventually decide whether the proposed federally-funded project will parallel existing rail lines and wrap around downtown's Reunion Tower -- or bypass Downtown Dallas and cut across Houston Street and I-35E.
The study is set to take a year – and some council members have expressed reticence to move forward with the rail plan until the study’s results are available.
