BUSINESS : ‘Texas Shinkansen’ Using JR Tokai’s Trains Cleared By U.S.

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▼ ‘Texas Shinkansen’ Using JR Tokai’s Trains Cleared By U.S.

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The U.S. government announced Tuesday it had drawn up safety standards and completed procedures for an environmental impact assessment for a high-speed rail project in Texas that will be supported by Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai).

The document was published in the Federal Register, the official U.S. government gazette, and the rule described will come into effect on Dec. 3.

“It is epoch-making because the safety of the Tokaido Shinkansen line was recognized by a U.S. authority,” a JR Tokai official told The Yomiuri Shimbun.

JR Tokai intends to export its new N700S series trains.
The “Texas Shinkansen” project is for a 385-kilometer-long high-speed rail system connecting Dallas and Houston. U.S. company Texas Central is expected to start construction next year, aiming for the line to start operations in 2026.

Funding for the project, which is expected to cost $20 billion (about ¥2.1 trillion), might face challenges due to the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

ar is lifted for shipment in Aichi Prefecture on Feb. 25.