Mexican Media Brands
Texas High-Speed Rail Deal Moves Forward
Texas Central, which plans to build a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston, has hired a firm to design, build and install the bulk of the 240-mile track.
Share
Texas Central, which plans to build a high-speed rail (HSR) line between Dallas and Houston, has contracted Italy’s Salini Impregilo and its U.S. subisiary, Lane Construction, to design, build and install the bulk of the 240-mile track.
Using Japan’s high-speed (200 mph or more) Shinkansen trains, the line promises to cut commute times from 4.5 hours to about 90 minutes, including one stop.
Pending local and federal approval, Salini and Lane could begin construction—including viaducts and embankments—by the end of 2020, with service starting in 2026. The deal is valued at about $16 billion. Other aspects of the project, totaling another $4 billion, haven’t been awarded.
The project, which already has been delayed several times, would be the first bullet train in the U.S. There also are plans for HSR corridors in Florida, New England and the Midwest.
Amtrak opened its Acela Express line, which runs between Washington, D.C., and Boston, in late 2000. Speeds are relatively slow—topping out at 150 mph but averaging only about 70 mph—compared with bullet trains in Asia that can reach more than 250 mph.
China and other countries also are developing magnetic levitation trains capable of speeds as high as 600 kph (373 mph).
RELATED CONTENT
-
Mustang Changes for 2018
On Tuesday Ford unveiled—using the social media channels of actor Dwayne Johnson (this has got to unnerve some of the auto buff book editors)—the 2018 Mustang, which has undergone some modifications: under the hood (the 3.7-liter V6 is giving way to a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four, and a 10-speed automatic is available), on the dash (a 12-inch, all-digital LCD screen is available for the dashboard), at the tires (12 wheel choices), on the chassis (MagneRide damper technology is being offered with the Mustang Performance Package), and on the exterior (three new paint colors). And while on the subject of the exterior, there are some notable changes—a lower, remodeled hood, repositioned hood vents, new upper and lower front grilles, LED front lights, revised LED taillamps, new rear bumper and fascia.
-
GM Is Down with Diesels
General Motors is one company that is clearly embracing the diesel engine.
-
On Electric Pickups, Flying Taxis, and Auto Industry Transformation
Ford goes for vertical integration, DENSO and Honeywell take to the skies, how suppliers feel about their customers, how vehicle customers feel about shopping, and insights from a software exec
