Waco, TX
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Killeen, TX (45.5 mi).
About Waco
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S.
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: Waco → Killeen | 45.5 mi × $500M/mi | $22.8B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $24.5B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
the existing Amtrak station district downtown, near the Magnolia corridor. The historic depot is already rail-served and sits on I-35, the spine of Central Texas. Baylor University is minutes south with 20,000 students. The terminal captures the full Waco metro plus I-35 through-traffic between DFW and Austin.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Bellmead — Waco suburb directly on I-35 south.
- Bruceville-Eddy — I-35 corridor town in McLennan County.
- Troy — Bell County town at the Killeen approach.