The notion of high-speed rail service connecting cities throughout Texas has been a dream since the 1980s. And study after study suggests a viable demand for inter-city rail travel at speeds up to 220 mph.

The determination of visionaries to make this a reality seems to harden as automobile traffic congestion in Texas increases with its population. Ultimately, however, the cost of building an infrastructure for high-speed rail has spelled death for such projects.

And, yet again, a new study has been commissioned that would explore the environmental impact high-speed rail would have if a line were extended from Oklahoma to the Rio Grande Valley. This time, the Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $5.6 million to the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct the study.

The force behind this study is U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who has been working on including South Texas in any high-speed rail plan since 2008 when Congress passed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.

We endorse the notion of pursuing high-speed rail as an option in an increasingly congested Texas and we appreciate Cuellar’s efforts to keep the Rio Grande Valley in the mix.

A multi-modal transportation plan is a smart move both environmentally and economically, but the threat that South Texas may not be part of the equation is always present because of the prohibitive start-up costs.

The dream of high-speed rail service typically involves a golden triangle corridor in Texas that would connect the densely populated metro areas of Houston with Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio, passing through Austin.

The latest study envisions an 850-mile corridor that would pass through cities that currently have a combined population of more than 10 million people — an area that is projected to grow by nearly 40 percent over the next two decades, Cuellar said.

Cuellar’s efforts to keep South Texas as part of this equation is not only economically beneficial for his constituents, but makes good sense as planners involved in this study are already suggesting a connecting line from South Texas into Mexico.

“This is a critical step forward for high-speed rail linking major trade and energy centers in South Texas with metropolitan areas further north, something I have long-supported,” Cuellar said in a July 27 news release announcing the study.

“This study outlines the routes that FRA and TxDOT consider high speed rail is environmentally feasible, and opens the door for the involvement of investors in the development of high-speed rail. It is my hope that this project will continue moving forward and that we will soon see high-speed rail not only from Oklahoma City to South Texas, but that Texans will eventually have the ability to travel by rail from San Antonio to Mexico.”

This latest study is a critical first step in making high-speed rail a reality. And while we may not be holding our breath over this development, we appreciate that South Texas continues to be recognized as an essential component of any transportation strategy being developed for the future.