Amarillo, TX
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Lubbock, TX (113.7 mi).
About Amarillo
Amarillo is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County. It is the 17th-most populous city in Texas and the most populous city in the Texas panhandle.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size terminal — 200K–1M catchment ($1–2B range) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.2× on $200M base | $240M |
| Track: Amarillo → Lubbock | 113.7 mi × $500M/mi | $56.9B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $58.6B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the downtown Santa Fe depot district. Historic rail yards are already in place, so the terminal extends a rail legacy rather than starting one. The I-40/I-27 crossroads gives the entire Panhandle a straight shot downtown. Revitalization parcels around the depot keep land costs in check.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Canyon — West Texas A&M University town south on I-27.
- Tulia — Swisher County seat on the I-27 corridor.
- Plainview — agricultural hub at the corridor's southern end.