I love Texas. Over 90% of my life has been spent here, shaped by childhood memories in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. I studied architecture at The University of Texas at Austin for five years and then returned to Dallas to start my career. I’m truly a son of three cities. And a quick note on Houston: Gross.
In this post, I’ll cover several loosely interconnected ideas that together form a casual pitch for high-speed rail. It’s not meant as persuasive advocacy, but rather as something to provoke thought.
Why Dallas Exists (or Shouldn’t)
Dallas surprises me most because of its improbable location—on a prairie, with a river that’s basically a drainage ditch, only flowing during heavy rain. Dallas shouldn’t exist, yet it thrives spectacularly, becoming the most productive landlocked city in the world.
Despite lacking a navigable waterway, Dallas once dreamed of an ambitious 384-mile canal linking the Trinity River to the ocean. That canal never happened, and DFW Airport was built instead—now rivaling Atlanta as one of the busiest airports globally. If you include Dallas Love Field, we’re quickly catching up to Atlanta’s passenger traffic. (Watch out, ATL.)
Passenger flights are just one side of the story. Dallas-Fort Worth is a cargo powerhouse too, with DFW ranked 10th and Fort Worth Alliance Airport 19th in the U.S. for cargo volume. Texas itself leads the nation with over 10,000 miles of freight rail lines.
Now, compare this to France—a country about the same size as Texas but with double the population. France boasts over 17,000 miles of rail, efficiently serving its entire population. Texas, however, is stuck fighting traffic on I-35, my lifelong nemesis.
Rail initially built Dallas and still remains crucial today, enabling products to reach anywhere in the U.S. within 48 hours. The International Inland Port of Dallas (IIPOD) seamlessly connects rail cargo to highways, proving rail’s ongoing importance. Yet Texas keeps making questionable infrastructure decisions.
The time is now for high-speed rail. Let’s build a secondary network, complementing our highways and reducing dependency on a single mode of transportation. Texas’ success with wind and solar energy proves we can capitalize on innovation—let’s apply that same mindset to rail infrastructure.
Boats and Urbanism in San Antonio
Here’s a weird idea: San Antonio’s “subway system” could be boat-based rather than rail-based.
Texas heat is brutal, but San Antonio’s River Walk creates a cool microclimate that’s pleasant year-round.
San Antonio has plenty of water, unlike Dallas, making expansion of the River Walk realistic—even integrating nearby San Pedro Creek. Extending boats northward toward the airport would create an inventive, comfortable transit method.
This could even work in Austin, connecting Lady Bird Lake directly to Austin-Bergstrom Airport with locks and channels. Imagine commuting downtown via riverboat instead of driving.
Airports and the Bullet Rail Case
At a ULI event, my former professor, Larry Speck, proudly highlighted Austin-Bergstrom’s superior airport experience over San Antonio’s. Despite being newer, Austin’s airport already handles nearly twice the traffic. It’s clear they won.
This raises a question for Austin and San Antonio: Rather than fighting over airports, why not link them with high-speed rail? DFW airport is notorious for a car-dependent, awful user experience. Better rail connections decades ago might’ve given Dallas and Fort Worth a better setup. Austin and San Antonio should learn from this—skip the joint airport idea, just build the rail.
BBQ, H-E-B, and Texas-centric Investment
A handy heuristic for evaluating Texas policy: “Is it good for H-E-B?” Improving rail infrastructure lowers costs for local businesses, benefiting all Texans.
Take Bill Miller BBQ, a San Antonio-based chain efficiently supplying 150 stores from a single $55 million commissary. Expanding the rail network statewide could dramatically extend their reach, giving smaller Texas-based businesses a logistical advantage over larger chains.
This isochrone map shows how far a distribution truck might be able to go in 2 hours from Bill Millers central repository.
Conclusion: Bullet Rail as Strategic Response
Southwest Airlines recently betrayed its consumer-friendly roots by adding baggage fees–Herb I will pour out some Wild Turkey in your honor. It’s the perfect moment for Texas to aggressively invest in high-speed rail. My snarky yet practical proposal:
- Austin–San Antonio: No airline competition exists here; easy win.
- Austin–Killeen: Essential for national security, linking Joint Base San Antonio to Fort Cavazos.
- Killeen–Waco: Include Buc-ee’s as a strategic rest stop, ensuring Texas politicians support the rail.
- Waco-Hillsboro: Bucee’s can connect their two stores, I guess.
- Dallas–Fort Worth to Hillsboro: Incentivize competition between Dallas and Fort Worth; whoever builds faster gets state funding (Union Pacific vs Central Pacific style).
- Houston: Wait patiently for Houston’s car-centric mindset to ease up, then connect them to the rail network.
Texas thrives when it dreams big. High-speed rail is our next great infrastructure frontier. What are we waiting for?