PILLAR: Sustainable
AGENDA DATE: January 21, 2026
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): 1, 2, 6, 14
DEPARTMENT: Department of Transportation and Public Works
PRIORITY: Infrastructure
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SUBJECT
Title
A resolution stating that the City Council: (1) reaffirms its position not supporting any construction of aboveground rail lines through the Central Business District, Uptown, and Victory Park areas of Dallas, except for streetcar expansion projects currently under consideration as stated in Resolution No. 24-0876 approved on June 12, 2024, (2) supports North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Transportation Council’s (RTC) request to NCTCOG’s executive board to accept a $500,000.00 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Step 1 of the Corridor Identification and Development Program of the “Fort Worth to Houston High-Speed Rail Corridor” and that the Dallas to Fort Worth leg of this corridor is subject to (a) compliance with Resolution No. 24-0876 approved on June 12, 2024; (b) scope, schedule, and cost development to be based on multiple alternative alignments complying with Resolution No. 24-0876 approved on June 12, 2024; (c) requesting that the existing Trinity Railway Express line be studied for upgrading opportunities; and (d) that any aboveground rail alignments do not go through city park land - Financing: No cost consideration to the City
Body
BACKGROUND
On June 12, 2024, the City Council passed a Resolution affirming that the City Council does not support construction of any above-ground rail lines through the Central Business District, Uptown, and Victory Park areas of Dallas, except for streetcar expansion projects currently under consideration by Resolution No. 24-0876.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established the Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program allowing the development of intercity passenger rail corridors. The Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA) was designated as the administrator of the Corridor ID Program.
The program includes three steps where each step has its own separate grant path.
Step 1 is to develop scope, schedule and cost for a corridor. Step 2 covers the service development plan, and Step 3 covers the development of the Preliminary engineering and environmental process.
At the October 23, 2025 NCTCOG executive board meeting, the board voted to defer the decision to accept the grant with potential action during the January 22, 2026 meeting, pending the City of Dallas’ consideration of this item (initiating this action).
NCTCOG applied for Step 1 of the “Fort Worth to Houston High-Speed Rail Corridor” (Up to $500,000.00) and was awarded the grant under the “FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections” as per FRA’s announcement.
At the November 13, 2025 meeting, the RTC requested that the NCTCOG executive board proceed with accepting Step 1 of the Corridor ID program grant.
On January 8, 2026, The City of Dallas’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (TRNI) held a special-called meeting to discuss NCTCOG’s Step 1 of the FRA’s Corridor ID Program with a specific discussion about the Dallas to Fort Worth segment of the overall Fort Worth to Houston High Speed Rail (HSR) Corridor.
TRNI Committee members voted unanimously to develop a council resolution at a date prior to the January 22, 2026 NCTCOG’s Executive Board meeting supporting the acceptance of Step 1 of the FRA Corridor ID grant, subject to the following conditions:
1. That the City Council reaffirms its position on above-ground rail lines as stated in Section 1 of Resolution No. 24-0876, approved by the City Council on June 12, 2024;
2. That the scope of the Corridor ID Study considers a family of multiple alignments that comply with Resolution No. 24-0876;
3. That the upgrade to the Trinity Railway Express be considered as part of the evaluation; and
4. That any above-ground rail alignments do not go through city park land.
The phrase “Central Business District” in Resolution No. 24-0876 has the meaning of that phrase as defined in the Dallas City Code, Section 50-157 and is synonymous to the word “Downtown.”
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
The City Council was briefed on major downtown transportation initiatives including the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, high-speed rail, and expansion of the streetcar system. Following the same briefing, the City Council requested an economic impact study on the impacts of the Dallas to Fort Worth High Speed Rail Alignment Project on March 6, 2024.
On June 12, 2024, the City Council unanimously passed Resolution No. 24-0876 stating that the City Council does not support construction of any above-ground rail lines through the Downtown, Uptown, and Victory Park areas of Dallas, except for streetcar expansion projects currently under consideration.
The Economic Development committee was briefed by Memorandum summarizing the results of the High-Speed Rail’s economic impact for the City of Dallas on June 2, 2025,.
The TRNI Committee was briefed about the status of NCTCOG’s HSR FRA’s Corridor Identification and Development Grant on January 8, 2026,.
FISCAL INFORMATION
No cost consideration to the City.