Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

Virgin steers talk of high-speed trains between Dallas and Houston
By John Egan - Feb 1, 2019, 1:45 pm

http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/trave ... s-houston/

Virgin Trains USA, a transportation startup that plans to trade its shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange, is exploring two high-speed routes in Texas — one between Dallas and Houston, and the other tying together Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. All four of the cities are plagued by ever-increasing traffic tie-ups.

Wow, that is a bit of a surprise. Considering how long it's taking the Japanese company to get things going, I don't expect Virgin to swoop in anytime soon, however, this does put some pressure for somebody to build something, so that's a positive.

This is also makes me hopeful because now there are at least two private companies that see value in a Dallas->Houston line.

They will greatly benefit from all the groundwork laid by TCR tho. Virgin shouldn't have half the resistance now that all the fighting in the legislature is over.

DFW-Houston is the obvious route for high volume and lowered construction red-tape; the I-35 corridor will do more for the state's economy and livability but has a huge number of negotiating municipalities.

Establishing an easy and convenient rail connection from DFW Airport to San Antonio, Austin, Killeen (Army Base) will turbo-charge international flights; overburdened I-35 will have relief while encouraging higher density (...more efficient) cities.

More details:

Two Billionaires Want to Restore the Glory of the U.S. Railroads
By Chris Bryant
February 1, 2019, 7:30 AM CST

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/artic ... -railroads

Wes Edens and Richard Branson are behind the IPO of Virgin Trains U.S.A. Its Florida plan is admirable, but the financial and business challenges are huge.

Virgin Trains USA LLC, operator of a new east coast Florida passenger express train, hopes to raise about $500 million in an initial public offering in coming weeks that would value the company at about $3 billion.

The Fortress-owned parent has developed 1.5 million square feet of retail, residential and office space around the three existing Florida stations but unfortunately those assets aren’t part of the IPO. While there’s potential for other real-estate opportunities, for now the business depends on fares, food and drink, parking and sponsorship. After the IPO, it won’t be able to count on Fortress for financial handouts.

This is... unexpected...

I had no idea Richard Branson was interested in trains/high-speed rail.

itsjrd1964 wrote:I had no idea Richard Branson was interested in trains/high-speed rail.

Musk envy

willyk wrote:

itsjrd1964 wrote:I had no idea Richard Branson was interested in trains/high-speed rail.

Musk envy

Virgin Trains has existed in the UK for over 20 years - since before Musk had even sold his first company

Ironic, that did not last long, Brightline took back its branding. Would love to see a business plan by Brightline for a DAL-HOU train. Probably not be electrified, slower but cheaper to build and actually run instead fancy powerpoints.

Here is a long but informative article from Railway Age (an industry magazine).about the history, operation and future of Brightline. The current operation in Florida is a very upscale commuter line from Miami to West Palm Beach. Early in 2023 it will be extended to Orlando and a few years later to Tampa. They are also deep into planning for their true high-speed electrified Las Vegas to LA area line. The article mentions the Texas Triangle. We can dream.

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/hi ... o-orlando/