Texas Central updates ridership study for proposed bullet train

Texas Central has published the results of an updated ridership study that supports the passenger-rail developer's views that Texas is ready for a privately run high-speed service between the Dallas and Houston regions.

Conducted by L.E.K. Consulting, the report builds on a ridership study the firm conducted in 2016, Texas Central officials said in an emailed newsletter.

According to the updated study:
• More than 6 million passengers annually are expected to use the bullet train by 2029 and 13 million annually will ride the train by 2050;
• More people are moving to urban regions causing congestion and delays, a trend that supports the growing market for alternative travel solutions;
• The train will save 60 to 90 minutes per trip between Houston and North Texas (Dallas);
• The Houston-North Texas "super economy" is expected to grow by 1.5 percent per year to 2050, nearly twice the U.S. national average;
• About 85 percent of Texans surveyed, who said they had traveled between Houston and North Texas over the past 12 months, indicated they would use the train under the right circumstances;
• 72 percent of frequent travelers and 49 percent of non-travelers said they "probably" or "definitely" would use the high-speed train on their next trip to North Texas or Houston if the bullet train was an option today.

Texas Central is in the process of developing, designing, constructing and financing a high-speed passenger train that will connect the Dallas and Houston regions in less than 90 minutes, with a stop in the Brazos Valley.