|
Abstract:
|
The Governor of Texas and the State Legislature assigned the responsibility for performing a state rail evaluation to the Texas Transportation Institute. A significant portion of the study addressed the possible need for increased rail passenger service, both intercity and commuter. The following six technical reports were prepared to document the findings of the rail passenger study. 1. The History of Rail Passenger Service in Texas, 1820-1970; 2. Amtrak and Its Texas Operations; 3. The Technology of Rail Passenger Service; 4. An Evaluation of Intercity Travel in Major Texas Corridors; 5. An Evaluation of the Need for Intercity Rail Passenger Service in Texas; 6. Considerations Influencing the Feasibility of Commuter Rail Service. This summary report presents the major findings and recommendations developed in those six technical reports. It is presented in three sections: the first session discusses the intercity rail passenger study; the major findings from the commuter rail study are documented in the second section; the third section presents the study recommendations. |