Texas Central has signed a US$16 billion construction contract for the high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston, Texas. The contract was signed to Webuild, a global construction, and engineering company, formerly Salini Impregilo, which has constructed 13,600 kilometers of railway and metro infrastructure in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The company will carry out the heavy construction for the project, including the build and design of all 236 miles of the alignment, about half of which will be on a viaduct. Texas Central signed a design-build agreement with Salini Impregilo and Lane Construction in September 2019, when the project was estimated to cost US$14 billion.
Also Read: Texas Central Railroad signs US$1.6 Billion contract for rail upgrade
Texas Central officials said much of the alignment is elevated to reduce the effects on residents and landowners living along the route as much as possible. They also said the train system will provide a gree, reliable, safe and productive travel option. The 200 mph train system would get passengers from Dallas to Houston and vice versa in 90 minutes. A midway stop would be in the Brazos Valley area. The project will create about 17,000 direct jobs during the six-year construction process. Additionally, 20,000 supply chain jobs and more than 1,400 permanent jobs will be created once the train is operational. Officials said the project will have an estimated US$36 billion economic impact over the next 25 years.
“Our goal is to put together a team of the best players in the world from each industry needed to bring this project to life. The addition of Webuild helps us accomplish that goal,” said Carlos Aguilar, the Texas Central CEO. The rail line will span 236 miles, carrying passengers on Japanese-made Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains at 200 miles per hour, and make only one stop at Brazos Valley near Texas A&M University
93
