Abilene, TX
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Wichita Falls, TX (123.9 mi).
About Abilene
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 176,579 as of 2020.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Small-city terminal — under 200K ($0.5–1B range) | $0.75B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.2× on $200M base | $240M |
| Track: Abilene → Wichita Falls | 123.9 mi × $500M/mi | $62.0B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $15M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $62.9B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the downtown depot district. The historic Texas & Pacific depot area gives a rail-ready downtown site. I-20 frontage captures the Big Country region. Three universities — Abilene Christian, Hardin-Simmons and McMurry — keep the ridership base young and steady.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Anson — Jones County seat on US-277 north.
- Haskell — county seat on the corridor.
- Seymour — Baylor County seat at the Wichita Falls approach.