Tyler officials seeking input on I-20 high-speed rail

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is asking East Texans for their input on local trolley service and high-speed rail along the Interstate 20 corridor.

The Tyler Rail and Regional Transit Study is entering it’s final stages and so the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is asking local residents to respond to a survey that will help them decide how rail service could be deployed in the area. Consultants are currently examining a limited trolley service on existing rail lines in the short-term future and they’re also looking at possible connections to high-speed rail service proposed for along Interstate 20.

“There is a proposed high speed rail line that would connect Dallas-Fort Worth with Atlanta Georgia,” Tyler MPO director Michael Howell said. “If this high speed rail line were to go in that would potentially give somebody the ability to get on a train in Tyler and go all the way to Dallas.”

In January, Tyler City Council approved a $150,000 contract with engineering consultants Kimley-Horn of Tyler to develop the Tyler Rail and Regional Transit Study as a part of the MPO’s 2024-2025 Unified Planning Work Program.

“The Light Rail Study will help us modernize transportation options in the Tyler area, allowing more connectivity and sustainable development,” Howell said.

Kimley-Horn is hosting a virtual town hall about the Tyler Rail and Regional Transit Survey at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

To respond to the survey and view potential routes, visit the Tyler Rail and Regional Transit Survey online.