Summary of the Railroad System of Texas: A Component of the State and National211 Transportation Infrastructure

摘要

Railroads continue to play an important role in moving domestic and international211u001efreight through Texas, contributing to economic growth in the state. This study 211u001eaddresses the potential for implementing a rail planning process in the Texas 211u001eDepartment of Transportation. In order to accomplish this, successful rail 211u001eplanning processes at other U.S. departments of transportation were evaluated and 211u001eexemplary programs identified. Three reports were published addressing a variety 211u001eof findings. The first, published by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public 211u001eAffairs at the University of Texas at Austin, provides an overview and 211u001eexamination of 32 state rail policies, plans, and programs for both passenger and 211u001efreight traffic. The second report, also published by the Lyndon B. Johnson 211u001eSchool of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, provides 211u001einformation on exemplary state rail programming and planning based on case 211u001estudies of California, Florida, North Carolina, and the state of Washington. The 211u001ethird report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M 211u001eUniversity, provides (1) a framework for rail planning in Texas, (2) 211u001eidentification of current rail issues in Texas, (3) a case study on urban rail 211u001erationalization, and (4) a characterization of the rail system in Texas. In each 211u001ereport, detailed appendices are provided to complement the findings and 211u001erecommendations. In this project summary report, an implementation schedule is 211u001erecommended to institute rail planning in the Texas Department of Transportation.