The area around U.S. 290 and Loop 610, anchored by Northwest Mall, is likely to be the end of the line for a proposed Houston-to-Dallas high-speed passenger train.

The Federal Railroad Administration has eliminated from consideration both paths that would have carried the trains to Houston's central business district. The agency is overseeing environmental approvals for the multibillion-dollar line proposed by Texas Central Partners.

The decision essentially gives Texas Central "our target landing zone," CEO Tim Keith said, although the company still must procure numerous federal approvals, hold public meetings, raise money and acquire land before construction could begin.

If these hurdles are overcome, the rail station would give the area around Northwest Mall a catalyst for growth, as the end points of the rail line could generate significant economic development. To downtown boosters, though, the decision represents a missed opportunity to complete the line to Houston's core.

The project relies on Japanese-designed trains that would make the Houston-to-Dallas trip in 90 minutes. The line would be privately funded, backers say, though they would seek the same business incentives other firms often seek in Texas. Some property might be acquired by use of eminent domain, as some landowners, especially in rural areas, have raised objections.

Construction is planned in 2017, with the first trains operating in 2021, under Texas Central's current schedule.

Keith said the decision not to bring the line downtown keeps the project within its $10 billion to $12 billion cost estimate.

"Serving downtown Houston directly would require significant community impact and significant cost," Keith said.

Partnering with Metro?

Federal officials eliminated options for a downtown connection because the each of the two proposed paths had numerous areas of concern. Both would have resulted in environmentally-significant damage to the Heights Boulevard Esplanade - part of a national historic district - and Cottage Grove Park west of T.C. Jester.

Taking his dog for an early walk Thursday morning near the roundabout on Washington Avenue at Westcott, Jim Stapleton said he was pleased with the decision to stop at Loop 610.

"I am for it, don't get me wrong," said Stapleton, a Washington Avenue-area resident for the past two decades. "It just didn't make any sense to me to come in, if that meant tearing through these neighborhoods."

A decision about where the line would end changes many of the conversations with local officials, Keith said.

"We're focusing on getting passengers into the (central business district) and allowing us to engage in those discussions with the various entities we can partner with," Keith said.

The discussions will likely include the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which is planning some projects around Loop 610 and U.S. 290. Metro board member Jim Robinson said Metro officials have suggested the private high-speed rail firm help to pay for a Metro light rail extension to the area.

"They could extend light rail for a fraction of (the high-speed rail cost), and that would certainly better serve their business model," Robinson said. "I think we should absolutely partner with them."

Keith said no conversations about Texas Central funding other improvements have taken place.

"We are going to work hard to get something to maximize connectivity," he said.

'We want the benefit'

Like airports or bus depots, the high-speed rail stations are expected to create a market for shops, restaurants and travel options to and from the station.

Those benefits, however, might be slow in coming, said Rusty Tamlyn, senior managing director of HFF, a local real estate firm. Tamlyn noted Minute Maid Park and Metro's Red Line also promised development potential, but were slow to pay off.

For downtown leaders, the decision to end the line elsewhere means the loss of a potential anchor.

"We are concerned," said Bob Eury, executive director of the Houston Downtown Management District. "We do want the benefit of this project into the downtown area."

Eury said officials were still reading the analysis and were not certain how a light rail connection to a Loop 610 bullet train station would affect downtown access.

Keith said the location near the intersection of two major freeways, Loop 610 and U.S. 59, would be convenient, even though both freeways already serve hundreds of thousands of vehicles each day. Metro has a thriving transit center nearby and is working with the Uptown Management District on a plan to operate buses in dedicated lanes along Post Oak and beside Loop 610 near Memorial Park.

The bus lane project, however, faces opposition from those who think it is unnecessary and disruptive, much as rural residents have opposed Texas Central. In counties outside the Houston and Dallas metro areas, Texas Central has faced intense opposition from landowners, who say the elevated trains would ruin their quality of life.

Supporters, citing the heavy travel between Houston and Dallas, cite the need for an alternative to driving or flying.