[Urbannizer]

Texas Central high-speed rail project moves forward following RPA approval

The Federal Railway Administration granted the Rule of Particular Applicability—or RPA—to Texas Central on Sept. 4 regarding the high-speed rail project slated to connect Dallas and Houston, according to a Sept. 4 press release from Texas Central.

This means the high-speed rail project is on track for both FRA actions—the RPA and the environmental permit—to be completed in 2020 with financial close and construction quickly following, according to the release.

RPAs are regulations that apply to a specific railroad or a specific type of operation to ensure a project’s safety, according to FRA information. This action, along with an environmental permit, is required before the project can be implemented.

“The FRA’s action on the Rule of Particular Applicability marks a major milestone in our quest to bring a transformative mobility solution, while minimizing impact on the environment and land use, as opposed to other options,” Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said in the release. “We will meet or exceed all requirements the FRA mandates, to ensure we have the safest high-speed rail system in the world.”

Italian builder inked for high-speed rail project

Although the first high-speed train ride between Houston and Dallas remains years away, a plan that would propel intrastate travel into the future continues to gain momentum.

Texas Central, a private company developing an electric high-speed railway between the state’s two largest cities, announced Friday it has signed a design-build agreement with Italian civil engineering contractor Salini Impregilo and its U.S. subsidiary, Lane Construction Company. The civil works contract, worth an estimated $14 billion, will include design and construction of the viaduct and embankment sections along the 240-mile route, installation of the track system and the alignment and construction of buildings that will house rail-system equipment.

“This agreement brings us one step closer to beginning construction of the civil infrastructure segments of the project,” Texas Central CEO Carlos F. Aguilar said in a statement released by the company. “Salini-Lane’s unmatched track record with rail infrastructure, and very specifically its world-class high-speed rail expertise across the globe, will be central to the completion of America’s first end-to-end high-speed rail system.”

According to a news release from the companies, Salini Impregilo has done business in more than 50 countries on five continents, having built more than 4,000 miles of railway infrastructure in the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.