TEXRAIL gets federal approval to start preliminary engineering and design
April 1, 2012 / Updated August 29, 2012
Passenger Rail
Another commuter rail line appears headed for North Texas.
The Federal Transit Administration gave the okay in March to start preliminary engineering and design for TEXRail, a proposed $758 million commuter line along 37 miles of the Cotton Belt corridor stretching from far Southwest Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
TEX Rail would join two other area commuter lines – Trinity Railway Express and Denton A-Train – in the Southwest’s fastest growing passenger rail market.
The FTA notified the Fort Worth Transportation Authority by letter dated March 23 that it had given the go-ahead. The T, however, must secure a federal grant for about half the project’s cost before dirt can move. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is seeking additional public and private funds for the project.
TEX Rail, if approved, could begin service by 2016.
There’s no shortage of history on the Murphy Branch, one of the most compelling stories of the Southern Railway’s system in the Southeast U.S. Historians speak of the perseverance and dedication of the men who built the 111 miles through the mountains and along rivers in Western Carolina. Passenger business flourished by the turn of the 20th century with four daily trains between Asheville and Murphy, NC. Today the only passengers who ride the former line are on a 63-mile stretch from Dillsboro to the Nantahala Gorge, considered the most scenic on the Murphy Branch. Bryson City lies between them. The whistles, horns and bells echoing through the valley are from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, operated by American Heritage Railways. The train has become Bryson City’s calling card.
Trainz.com has parlayed new and used model trains into a big business north of Atlanta, GA. In March, Trainz opened a 73,000-square-foot warehouse in Flowery Branch and much of the shelf space is already consumed.
Readers who participated in the Cowcatcher's annual State of Model Railroading survey in November indicate the hobby remains in good shape, but its value appears to be slipping amid a changing landscape that is pushing prices higher.
InterMountain Railway's latest HO and N grain cars pay tribute to one Iowa grain company and elevator that a played a role in the U.S. agriculture industry's rise. Chicago's elevated railroad, better known as the 'L', spreads in every direction and touches many lives along the Windy City's lakefront. Also, Atlas Model Railroad Co. say its role is clear after buying Micro-Trains Line Co.: Preserve the company's product line. And more!
