A high-speed rail could be passing through South Texas, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s office that announced a study into the feasibility of a high-speed train throughout the state.

The Federal Railroad Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation released 10 route options for a high-speed passenger rail service that would connect Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and South Texas.

The FRA awarded TxDOT $5.6 million for a study, called the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, examining possible rail service in three different sections: northern, that would service Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth; central, which would run from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio; and southern, which would stretch from San Antonio to South Texas.

In 2008, Cuellar wrote an amendment to the bill, called “Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008,” to include South Texas in the DEIS study that also took into account the environmental and economic effects of the rail system.

“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. “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.”

In the South Texas region, two possible routes were selected for further study. The first would begin in San Antonio to a station near Laredo-ColumbiaSolidarityBridge and then would cross a new rail bridge to a new rail line and continue down to Monterrey. This route would have the potential to operate at 180 to 220 mph.

The second route, would travel from San Antonio to Alice, where it would divide into three legs, with the first going to San Diego, Texas, and then to Laredo. The second would go down to McAllen and then east to Harlingen and Brownsville. The third leg would go east to Corpus Christi. This second route would have the potential to run up to 110 to 125 mph.

The study identified the routes that would best meet the demands of potential intercity travel, reduce travel time and improve connections with public transportation.

“More than 10 million people currently live along the 850-mile corridor, which is expected to grow by 39 percent in Texas by 2035,” the release stated. “As a state with some of the largest metropolitan areas in the nation, spread out over hundreds of miles, Texas is now in high demand for alternative modes of transportation.”

With the results of this study, developers can conduct other studies that would provide project-level analyses, designs, alignments and would refine cost estimates. The results would give insight to investors as to whether the project is worth investing in.

The results of the DEIS study is available for view on the TxDOT website. The public will be allowed to comment until Aug. 29.