Bullet Train News

Houston-to-Dallas high-speed train partners up with Amtrak to fill gaps

Central Rail high-speed bullet train rail

The bullet train and Amtrak have formed an alliance.

Photo courtesy of JR Central

The developers of Texas' high-speed train have struck a deal with Amtrak that will allowing passengers to use Amtrak's reservation system to buy tickets.

Texas Central will also offer a convenient transfer service connecting riders between Amtrak passenger stations and the high-speed train stations in Dallas and Houston.

Amtrak has not offered service between Dallas and Houston since 1995, when a leg of the Chicago-to-San Antonio/Los Angeles Texas Eagle route was discontinued.

Texas Central will provide service to this market, including Texas A&M University, with a passenger stop serving Bryan-College Station and Huntsville in the Brazos Valley.

This deal will make ticket-buying and trip-scheduling easier for travelers, for both Amtrak and Texas Central customers.

In a release, Texas Central Tim Keith says they've been seeking opportunities like this to attract and serve passengers on their 200-mph North Texas-to-Houston line.

"This agreement is another important step in the progress of the Texas Bullet Train," Keith says. "It gives both local and interstate travelers more options and ease of travel not previously available by intercity passenger trains in Texas."

Amtrak VP Stephen Gardner says that the deal will fill one of Amtrak's biggest gaps, namely North Texas and Houston.

"Amtrak supports the development of high-speed train service throughout the United States as part of a national passenger rail system, capable of meeting the nation’s transportation needs," Gardner says. "When Texas Central's high-speed line begins operation, the joint ticketing arrangement will benefit Amtrak customers who currently cannot connect by train between Texas' two largest markets. We welcome the opportunity to partner with the private sector to expand the reach of our national network."

Under the joint agreement, Texas Central and Amtrak will facilitate the ability of interstate and intrastate train passengers to travel between points on the Texas Central line and throughout Amtrak’s national network. The coordination includes:

Through ticketing, an option that will allow Amtrak passengers to use its reservation system to buy Texas Central tickets.
A Texas Central-provided transfer service, connecting passengers between Amtrak stations and the high-speed train terminals in Houston and Dallas.
Potential coordination of frequent travel programs.
Texas Central’s purchase of services from Amtrak, such as training, marketing, and sales.

The Federal Railroad Administration is still working on a final environmental study of the train's 240-mile route. It already issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on December 15 which said that the train will alleviate strains on Texas infrastructure. The FRA now is reviewing public comments it received on the draft in meetings from January to March this year.

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hail hail

Self-driving Waymo robotaxis hit the streets in Houston

Waymo/ Facebook

Waymo is now offering driverless rides to Houstonians.

Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in Houston and four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets.

The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Florida, announced Tuesday, February 24, widens Waymo's early lead in autonomous driving while rival services from Tesla and the Amazon-owned Zoox are still testing their vehicles in only a few U.S. cities.

In contrast, Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly trips in the six metropolitan areas where they have been transporting passengers: Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin.

Waymo's cars soft launched service in San Antonio in November 2025, initially only offering the rides to employees. The company first began testing Alamo City’s roads the previous May as part of a multi-city “road trip” meant to map out roadways and help alleviate local concern over safety and other issues.

Waymo operates its ride-hailing service through its own app in all the U.S. cities except Atlanta and Austin, where its robotaxis can only be summoned through Uber's ride-hailing service.

The expansion into four more markets marks a significant step toward Waymo's goal to surpass 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. Without identifying where its robotaxis will be available next, Waymo is targeting a list of eight other cities that include Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit, and Boston while signaling its first overseas availability is likely to be London.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009.

Although Waymo is opening up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Orlando before the service will be available to all corners in those markets.

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This article contains additional reporting from CultureMap San Antonio editor Brandon Watson.

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