Study: Proposed Texas-Oklahoma passenger-rail service is 'feasible'

A study of a proposed passenger-rail service between Oklahoma City and South Texas has determined the route would be feasible, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced yesterday.

The designation allows for continued analysis of the proposal, TxDOT officials said in a press release.

Establishing 220 mph passenger-rail between Dallas and San Antonio was deemed feasible, according to the study's most recent phase. The study also determined it would be feasible to provide passenger-rail service between San Antonio, Laredo and Monterrey, Mexico.

In addition, the study examined the possibility of providing 125 mph service between San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley and improved Amtrak service between Dallas and Oklahoma City.

The next step would be a project-level environmental study to determine actual routes and environmental impacts before construction could begin.

"At this point a private developer could step forward to determine future possibilities," TxDOT officials said.

The $7 million Texas-Oklahoma passenger-rail study is federally funded. The study covers an 850-mile corridor broken into three segments: Oklahoma City to Dallas-Fort Worth; Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio; and San Antonio to South Texas.