(NationalUSNews.com) — President Joe Biden plans to restart a project to construct the first bullet train in the United States. The train would run on a railway connecting Dallas and Houston and run at speeds of approximately 200 miles per hour. President Biden decided to revive the project after he spoke with Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, who has experience overseeing bullet trains due to their prevalence within Japan’s transportation industry. Biden hasn’t officially confirmed the bullet train revival, but sources close to the White House claim an official announcement could come in the next few weeks.
Bullet trains are vital to Japan’s infrastructure because they can shorten passenger travel times by hours, improve local economies, and provide new job opportunities for people who wish to travel between cities. The Texas bullet train would shorten the commute to Dallas from Houston by approximately two hours. The commute between the two cities currently takes three and a half hours, but the new bullet train would shorten the travel time to an hour and a half.
The new bullet train would also reduce the number of trains operating within the region, allowing for trains with more frequent stops to run at set times rather than around the clock. The Biden administration’s plan to construct the bullet train aligns with Biden’s outspoken beliefs regarding American transportation, which has become increasingly car-dependent over the past few decades. The White House plans to reduce the widespread use of cars and subsequent carbon emissions through various methods, with the bullet train project serving as another instance of reducing American citizens’ use of automobiles.
While the Biden administration wants to revive the project, other lawmakers aren’t entirely convinced due to the bullet train’s extremely high construction costs. Some experts believe the train could cost more than $15 billion, while others think it could cost almost $30 billion. The estimations come from a 2017 report regarding the project, which ultimately encouraged lawmakers to abandon the bullet train’s construction for the foreseeable future. Lawmakers wanting to avoid high costs aren’t the only potential roadblock for the proposed bullet train, as other people who could suffer from the construction also oppose the project.
Citizens along the route between Houston and Dallas claim the project’s construction would disrupt their everyday lives. Environmentalists also opposed the project, as the proposed route could destroy various habitats or displace animals. Despite the opposition to the bullet train project, the Biden administration will likely confirm the project in the coming weeks.
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