Updated at 3 p.m.: Revisions throughout include new comments from Texas Central Partners President Tim Keith.

Irving-based Fluor Enterprises and Lane Construction Corp. have been chosen to help with the design and construction of the high-speed rail line that will carry travelers between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, developer Texas Central Partners said Monday.

The announcement comes after more than three years of development by Texas Central, the private company behind the $12 billion-plus venture. The project will be backed by private investors, and the company has pledged not to pursue federal or state government grants but said it may seek loans from existing transportation credit programs.

The 240-mile high speed rail line would take travelers between the cities in less than 90 minutes, with trains departing every 30 minutes during peak periods.

The line, which could follow one of several routes, would wind down to Harris County and back at 205 mph.

The next major step in the process is the fall release of an environmental draft from the Federal Railroad Administration, which will identify a preferred path for the train, Texas Central President Tim Keith said. After the environmental statement, the company can identify and engage with more landowners along the preferred rail line.

Dallas' station could be placed just outside of downtown, with the goal of tying it into the Dallas Area Rapid Transit network.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2018 or early 2019, and the train could be open for travelers several years later.

Lane Construction is a subsidiary of the Italian construction and civil engineering company Salini Impregilo. Fluor is a multinational engineering and construction firm.

"This underscores the attention the Texas Bullet Train has received from world-class firms, wanting to be part of a project that will revolutionize travel here and generate long-lasting local economic benefits," Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said in a prepared statement Monday.

The selected companies will be working with Texas Central to refine and update the project's construction plans, schedule and cost expectation, according to the news release.

Texas Central's news release said it had agreed on Fluor and Lane as the project's preferred "design-builder." A final decision will be made once the design, schedule and implementation are reviewed and approved.

Texas Central plans to use the N700-I bullet train system — the same one used by the Central Japan Railway Company on its Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka.

The company has said ticket prices are expected to be "competitive" with airline tickets.

The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston have supported the project. Combined, the metropolitan areas of the three cities account for about 13.1 million of Texas' 28 million people.

Rural impact

A 2015 impact study commissioned by the company estimated the project would spur $36 billion in economic benefits over 25 years. An estimated 10,000 jobs a year would be created over four years of construction, and the company would hire 1,000 permanent employees, the study said.

Some landowners and rural residents are skeptical of the claims of economic benefits and say the train would disrupt their way of life.

The Stoneham family's 1,000-acre ranch is along the rail's proposed path through Grimes County. The family could lose 50 acres that would bisect the property and limit access to grazing pastures.

Some rural residents say they won't see the economic benefits of the rail line. Many people strongly oppose Texas Central's ability to use eminent domain to secure land for the project.

The company has said it's committed to negotiating good-faith offers for the property owners whose land they need, and would only use the eminent domain power as a last resort. It has said construction will take place "to the greatest extent possible" on land already in use or reserved for another transportation or utility.

But opposition group Texans Against High-Speed Rail argues Texas Central shouldn't qualify as a railroad with powers of eminent domain because it doesn't operate rail lines.

Texas Central said Monday that Fluor and Lane will not be involved in land acquisition and have no ownership stake in the project.

"We will use our industry experience and proven track record of delivering high-speed rail projects to provide high-value services for this significant infrastructure project," said Hans Dekker, president of Fluor's infrastructure business line.

Lane also has experience in transportation and infrastructure projects, including work on parts of Interstate 35 in Fort Worth, Waco, Austin and San Antonio, as well as State Highway 360 from Interstate 20 to U.S. Highway 287. It is also a partner in work on the Dallas-to-Denton I-35 Express project.

"We're eager to be part of the next generation of sustainable infrastructure," said Robert E. Alger, Lane Construction's president and CEO. "The project will create benefits for generations to come while providing an innovative transportation alternative for Texas commuters."

1 / 3As it approaches its potential Houston station near Interstates 10 and 610, a planned bullet train connecting the city to Dallas could run on Hempstead Road parallel to this existing rail line near Northwest Mall.(Brandon Formby / The Texas Tribune) 2 / 3Backers of a bullet train between Dallas and Houston have used various marketing slogans to promote their project.(Paul O'Donnell / Staff) 3 / 3John Stoneham describes the proposed route of a high speed rail line could run through his ranch on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 in Grimes County. The rail would roughly follow power lines that were placed on the ranch in the 1960s. The ranch is nearly 1,000 acres, and has been owned and operated by the Stoneham family for almost 150 years. If the rail is built, Stoneham could lose about 50 acres of land in the middle of his property, limiting his access to grazing pastures. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Lawmakers weigh in



Two years ago, a small group of Republican lawmakers from rural counties attempted to derail the project by filing bills that would have removed Texas Central's power of eminent domain.

Some lawmakers tried again in this year's legislative session to quash the rail plan, but efforts were unsuccessful. In the end, two bills passed and will go into effect Sept. 1.

One bill, by Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would prohibit the Legislature from appropriating state money to a high-speed rail project, with some federally required exceptions.

The law would ensure taxpayers would not be held accountable for subsidizing, bailing out or otherwise financially supporting the private venture.

Another by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, deals with safety measures for the rail system.

Kyle Workman, president of the opposition group, thanked the Texas Legislature, which he said "shares our concern about the negative effects" the project could have on the state.

"While we highly doubt they can construct this project without proof of eminent domain or state funds, should they proceed, tax dollars, landowners and communities will be much better protected from this Japanese-funded boondoggle," Workman said in a prepared statement.

In February, Texas Central said it planned to drop more than a dozen lawsuits against landowners who refused to allow the company to conduct surveys on their property.

High-speed history

Texas' relationship with high-speed rail dates back to 1989, when the Legislature created the Texas High-Speed Rail Authority to select a group that would build the system and granted the powers of eminent domain.

The French-American group Texas TGV Corp was awarded the project but failed to raise money and the franchise was revoked. Plans crumbled in the early 1990s under the weight of the cost — about $8.4 billion.

Then in 2013, talk of bullet trains zipping across the state resumed when Texas Central threw its name into the hat for the Houston-Dallas line. The effort was bolstered the next year with mayoral support.

Mayor Mike Rawlings said then, "You've got a real operation, not a pie-in-the-sky sort of thing."

When plans were rolled out a few years ago, the Dallas-to-Houston bullet train was slated to become the country's first high-speed rail line.

But eyes may be on California to claim the title. Construction is underway on a $20 billion high-speed rail segment that would connect Silicon Valley to Central Valley by 2025, The Mercury News reported.