Texas Central chooses ecological services firm for bullet-train project

Texas Central, developers of the proposed Dallas-Houston bullet-train project, today announced Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) will provide ecological mitigation services for the project.

Operating out of its Houston office, RES will oversee plans to comply with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) requirements that the project restore, enhance and preserve wetlands, streams and environmentally sensitive habitats along the train's route.

RES has led several high-profile projects across the state and nation, Texas Central officials said in a press release. The firm will help Texas Central "meet or exceed" environmental mitigation requirements and will collaborate with community leaders to identify local and regional conservation opportunities, they said.

Over the past decade, RES has restored more than 58,000 acres of wetlands, enhanced more than 290 miles of streams and planted more than 14 million restorative trees, according to Texas Central.

For the bullet-train project, RES will develop a plan to rebuild and restore wetlands and streams in the Texas Central-affected watersheds as part of a comprehensive mitigation strategy. Preliminary ecological planning calls for stream and wetland restoration, enhancing the viability of several sub-watersheds close to the route.

"We believe that by engaging with partners dedicated to low-impact design and development, it's possible to achieve both environmental sustainability and advanced infrastructure," said RES Chief Executive Officer Elliott Bouillion.

The selection of RES marks another step in Texas Central's plan to develop a 200-mph train that will connect the Houston and Dallas regions in 90 minutes. Last year, the company selected Renfe as the railroad's operating partner and global construction and engineering firm Salini Impregilo — operating in the U.S. market with The Lane Construction Corp. — to lead the civil construction consortium that will build the route.