DALLAS — A proposed 30-mile high-speed rail line that would connect the dots between downtown Fort Worth, downtown Dallas and Arlington’s Entertainment District has been slowed to a halt.
Dallas City Council members say they want to wait for the results of a feasibility study before they decide whether to move ahead with the project in their city.
The line would run parallel with I-30 in Dallas and run right through the southwest corner of the city. where Reunion Tower currently stands.
Some council members are concerned the rail line could cut off portions of downtown.
There’s also some hesitation because, in Dallas, the line would be above ground, while it’s underground in Fort Worth and Arlington.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross says the line would help connect everyone in a fast-growing area.
“I think high-speed rail is something that is necessary to regionalize transportation in all of North Texas. We are rapidly becoming the third largest metropolitan area in the United States,” he told us on Inside Texas Politics.
Ross, who joined us from Kansas City where he’s attending the United States Conference of Mayors, says he’s confident the results of the feasibility study will make it plain for all to see the economic benefit of the line.
“I don’t think they can just kill the program,” the Mayor said about the city of Dallas.