With the release of FRA's Alignment Alternatives Analysis Report, it seems safe to conclude that the high-speed rail project no longer presents an imminent threat to urban Houston neighborhoods. View this email in your browser
On Monday, Nov. 9, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released its final Alignment Alternatives Analysis Report, which can be accessed here. This report contains excellent news for Houston neighborhoods:
- The Houston station is to be located in the 290/610 area, just as Houston High-Speed Rail Watch has been advocating.
- All routes that were under consideration for reaching downtown were rejected and are off the table (it turns out only two were being studied).
It seems safe to conclude that the high-speed rail project no longer presents an imminent threat to urban Houston neighborhoods.
We are gratified by this turn of events, and we hope and believe that our voice and the voices of our communities played a role in the decision that has been taken. With our mission apparently achieved, Houston High-Speed Rail Watch and its individual members are now considering our next steps.
For those who want more details, specific points of interest include the following:
- Page 22 of the Alignment Alternatives Analysis Report discusses the two Downtown Houston routes being eliminated from further consideration and details the reasons.
- The FRA also released a report from TCR called Screening of Alignment Alternatives. Pages 134 and 135 of that report contain maps of the routes TCR and FRA were considering for reaching downtown that are more detailed than the maps previously disclosed to the public.
- TCR’s view of the last-mile choices is detailed in yet another TCR report calledLast Mile Analysis, dated March 27, 2015, but not released publicly until now. Pages 62 through 65 of this report discuss the routing and station alternatives within Houston.
Houston High-Speed Rail Watch is watching out for you.