Discussions about putting in a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth have been going on for decades. The latest plan introduced by developers, though, involves sacrificing one of Dallas’ most treasured landmarks.
North Central Texas Council of Governments Director of Transportation Michael Morris calls the rail, which would connect Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes and Dallas to Fort Worth in 25, "transformative with a capital T."
However, the line would pass through a section of Downtown Dallas that would require the city to tear down Reunion Tower!
According to WFAA, renderings commissioned by Hunt Realty Investments show the train line “passing inches from the Hyatt Regency's hotel room windows and the Reunion Tower complex, which would force the city to sacrifice more than 1,000 hotel rooms, its affordable housing development plans, and the Reunion Tower Ball.”
Hunt Realty Investments President Colin Fitzgibbons said in a statement, “This, in turn, would damage the economic impact of the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and put at serious risk the economic viability of the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Reunion Tower.”
The idea of the line connecting Dallas to Houston is still possible, though.
Councilman Jesse Moreno, who represents the portion of downtown that includes Reunion Tower, believes that a majority of his colleagues supported the Houston portion of the route, which Amtrak said could be ready for implementation by 2025.
"However we’re not there yet with Dallas to Fort Worth with its current alignment bisecting our skyline, bisecting one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Dallas," he said
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