Hyperloop could bring 6-minute commute between Dallas and Fort Worth

Hyperloop could bring 6-minute commute between Dallas and Fort Worth

A $5 million environmental study by a regional planning organization will help determine whether a bullet train or a giant tube travel system known as hyperloop will whisk people between Dallas and Fort Worth.

High-speed rail could get under construction faster. But hyperloop would have a faster travel time, shortening the trip between Big D and Cowtown to six minutes. Either way, a system should be up and running within seven years, Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told the Dallas Business Journal in an interview.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Transportation Council has decided to consider both hyperloop technology and high-speed rail in an environmental study of the route, Morris said. Initially, the study was going to analyze the impact of high-speed rail alone.

“We’re interested in all modes and all routes as we move forward,” Morris told me in an interview. “We won’t be building both. We’ll be building one or the other between Dallas and Fort Worth.”

Texas Central Partners, a private company working to build a high-speed train system between Dallas and Houston, has recently shown interest in extending its system to add Arlington and Fort Worth. Another possibility would be for another high-speed rail company to add a connection between Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth, Morris said.

An environmental study has already been conducted for the bullet train’s Dallas-Houston route. Morris said he expects that to be under construction within a year and that trains will be running in two to three years.

Riders will be traveling on either hyperloop or a bullet train between Dallas and Fort Worth in five to seven years, he added.

Dan Katz, director of North American projects for Virgin Hyperloop One, said the RTC’s opening of the environmental impact study to consider the hyperloop as well as high-speed rail “really puts hyperloop on the table for the future of the region.”

“This is a very bold, ambitious plan, and we are excited to be part of it,” Katz said. “By including us in this environmental study, it’s really moving Dallas-Fort Worth to the top of the list.”

But Virgin Hyperloop One, the Los Angeles-based company developing and building the system of tubes that speed passenger and cargo pods at up to 700 miles per hour, seems to be spreading its bets among the five areas in the U.S. vying to attract the project.

A proposed Midwest hyperloop route through Columbus, Ohio, is also a strong contender, Katz told Columbus Business First. Central Ohio’s track record on public-private partnerships and its innovation in transportation and logistics give it a good shot of moving to construction, Katz said.

“I would bet on Columbus,” Katz told Business First. “You have great track record on transportation technology.”

If the RTC signs off on the project for North Texas, Katz said riders can expect a service capable of traveling between Dallas and Fort Worth in six minutes, or three minutes to Arlington.