Spanish companies Renfe and Adif will develop a High Speed project in Texas

USPA NEWS - The Spanish public companies Renfe and Adif will develop a historic High Speed project to unite the cities of Houston and Dallas / Fort Worth, in Texas. After a very competitive and demanding process among other global operators of reference, Central Texas, private developer of the project, has chosen the two Spanish companies as strategic partners.

After the first phase as technical advisors in the development, design and construction, the announcement made by Central Texas provides that Renfe and Adif assist in the subsequent plans of operation and maintenance for the set-up of the service, including the operation of the trains, the maintenance of equipment and other services related to the commercialization of tickets. Renfe and Adif have been selected for their level of service and extensive experience in the sector, as well as their proven qualifications and ability to address and integrate different high-speed technologies and systems. During the last months, the companies have prepared and defended their proposal before the demanding and competitive international selection process, which has been led by a team of professionals from the areas of Strategy and International.

According to Texas Central, the project will revolutionize Texas travel. Renfe will collaborate with the design build consortium and the technology partners to ensure a holistic, efficient approach for the Texas Central Railroad. The combination of these best in class global experts are setting the foundation for the new industry that are creating in the United States, right in Texas.

Renfe is one of the world´s most significant railways operators, running 5,000 trains daily on 7,500 miles of track. The company is integral to the transport system in Spain, its home base, handling more than 487 million passengers and 19.6 million tons of freight moved in 2017. As an operator, Renfe´s work is focused on providing train passengers with an excellent experience ““ from how they buy their tickets to safely carrying them down the tracks. Renfe has expertise in everything about operating and maintaining a train system. Significant work is necessary in this phase of the project to determine how the system components (track, bridges, signals, communications, trainsets) will be maintained during operations.

“Selection of this operating partner marks another major step forward for the Houston-to-North Texas high-speed railroad, a project attracting interest from deeply experienced firms to bring Texas a new industry that offers a choice beyond traffic-clogged roads and the hassles of airline travel,“ said Central Texas. According to this company, the high-speed line will generate economic benefits in the state of Texas that could reach $ 36,000 million over the next 25 years, including the creation of 10,000 jobs a year in the construction phase and about 1,500 permanent jobs once the line enters service. Part this employment, still to be specified, will correspond to Spanish professionals.

The Central Texas high-speed train plans to connect Dallas / Fort Worth with Houston in a travel time of less than 90 minutes. The route has a length of 240 miles, 386 kilometers. In addition to the Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston stations, it will have an intermediate station in Brazos Valley. All stations will be connected to the motorway network and public transport systems, and will have large parking areas.

It is the world's first 100% private high-speed railway project, which highlights the viability of the high-speed business. “Texas, a historic State in the development of fossil fuels, thus becomes the leader in the US in betting on a sustainable mobility system with the environment, as a principle of cultural and social change that is occurring globally,“ explain Renfe.