AsiaNet  85688

DALLAS, Sept. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- Completion of key regulatory processes makes the Nation's first high-speed

train ready to go

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

has released the final Rule of Particular Applicability (RPA) and the Record of

Decision (ROD) for Texas Central Railroad, LLC, marking a major achievement for

the historic high-speed rail project and bringing it closer to construction.

The RPA provides the regulatory framework for Texas Central Railroad,

establishing a comprehensive set of safety requirements that will govern the

high-speed rail system's signal and trainset control, track, rolling stock,

operating rules and practices, system qualifications, and maintenance. This RPA

is based on a systems approach to safety which incorporates accident avoidance

measures that are significantly more stringent than those required for

conventional U.S. rail operations.

The system Texas Central Railroad proposes to build in Texas will replicate the

service-proven Japanese Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system, as operated

by the Central Japan Railway Company (JRC). Texas Central chose this system

because of its reputation as being one of the safest and most punctual train

systems in the world. In its 55+ year history, it has transported over 10

billion passengers with an impeccable safety record of zero operational

passenger fatalities and zero accidents since first deployed. As noted by the

FRA, "this regulation was written specifically for this technology to maintain

the integrity of the baseline safety case" of JRC's Tokaido Shinkansen and

establishes "regulatory requirements codifying the service-proven

technological, operational, and maintenance aspects of the Tokaido Shinkansen

HSR system."

The ROD completes the FRA's environmental review process that began in 2014 as

required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and culminated with

the publication of the 10,000+ page Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

that was released on May 29, 2020. The ROD also formally selects the alignment*

that Texas Central Railroad will follow between Dallas and Houston.

The full ROD/RPA will be published in the Federal Register soon.

*The alignment selected by FRA is referred to as Build Alternative A in the ROD.

"This is the moment we have been working towards," said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of

Texas Central Railroad. "The release of the final RPA and ROD by the Federal

Railroad Administration represents years of work by countless individuals,

affirming a very thorough and careful federal regulatory process that will make

the Texas Central Railroad the first high-speed rail system to be implemented

in the United States."

Major Milestones Reached in 2020

Legal:

- May 7: The 13th Court of Appeals of Texas issued a unanimous ruling

confirming Texas Central's status as a Railroad under Texas Law

Regulatory:

- May 21: US Army Corps of Engineers issued its preliminary designation

affirming the FRA selected route as the Least Environmentally Damaging Proposed

Alternative (LEDPA), agreeing with FRA on the chosen alignment

- May 29: FRA released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

- July 17: Surface Transportation Board (STB) confirmed jurisdiction over the

Texas Central project

- September 11: FRA issued its Rule of Particular Applicability (RPA) and

Record of Decision (ROD) establishing Federal safety standards under which

Texas Central Railroad will operate the high-speed train and giving

environmental clearance for the selected alignment from Dallas to Houston

Land:

- Texas Central has control of over 600 parcels of land needed for the project

- Texas Central has control of the three station sites in Dallas, Houston and

the Brazos Valley

Jobs and Impact:

- Texas Central is ready to build and will proceed to construction as soon as

possible to contribute to the Nation's COVID-19 recovery

- This project will create more than 17,000 direct jobs during the six years of

construction and over 20,000 supply chain jobs

- This project will have over $10 billion dollars in immediate economic impact

across the U.S. via contracts for steel mills and other manufacturers, minority

and women owned businesses, veterans, rural businesses

- The project will inject an estimated $36 billion in economic benefits over

its first 25 years in the form of direct spending during construction, employee

payroll and spending related to the maintenance and operation of the system

To execute this project, Texas Central has put together a world-class team of

experts and industry leaders including:

Webuild: In September 2019, Texas Central signed a design-build contract with

Webuild (Salini Impregilo/Lane Construction Corp.) to supply the civil

infrastructure work for the project. This includes the design and construction

of the viaduct and embankment sections along the entire route, the installation

of the track system and construction of related buildings and services along

the route that will house maintenance and other rail system equipment.

Bechtel: Based in Virginia, Bechtel is the world's leading rail program

manager. They will be our lead to oversee all aspects of this project as well

as the integration of all scopes.

Central Japan Railway (JRC)/Renfe: We have two of the world's leading rail

system operators. JRC, based in Japan, is the technology provider and Renfe,

based in Spain, is the operator of our system.

Team Shinkansen United (TSU): The best high-speed rail technology (Tokaido

Shinkansen) in the world. TSU includes Hitachi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,

Toshiba, NEC, and JRC.

Kiewit: Kiewit, based in Nebraska, and Mass Electric Construction Company,

based in Massachusetts, market leaders in Rail systems construction and

installation, will install the core systems that will operate the train, in

partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Matthews Southwest (MSW) and Suffolk Construction: MSW, a Texas-based real

estate developer, along with Suffolk Construction, based in Massachusetts,

which has recently completed the most advanced rail terminal/commercial space

in the nation, will develop and build the Texas Central stations.

Business and Workforce Opportunity Policy. From the highest levels of

leadership throughout the whole company and supply chain, Texas Central

Railroad is committed to living and fostering a culture of inclusiveness. As

part of this commitment, our Business and Workforce Opportunity Policy (BWOP)

outlines our strategy to attract, include and maximize the participation of

Texas-based rural, minority, women, small, disadvantaged, veteran, and

disability-owned businesses in building and operating the Railroad. This

commitment is at the core of all decision-making processes throughout our

organization, from contracting and recruiting to the allocation of financial

resources.

About Texas Central. Texas Central, which includes its operating subsidiary

Texas Central Railroad, is the company undertaking the development, design,

construction, finance, and operation of the innovative new high-speed passenger

train line that will connect the fourth and fifth largest economies in the

country, North Texas and Greater Houston, in less than 90 minutes, with one

stop in the Brazos Valley.

SOURCE: Texas Central High Speed Rail

CONTACT: Kristin Welsh, +1-214-871-7723, kristin@allynmedia.com