The long-abandoned Northwest Mall near the intersection of U.S. 290 and Loop 610 has long been eyed as the future site of a high-speed rail station that could eventually connect Houston to North Texas in about 90 minutes. Crews with Cadiz Development Houston LLC, a partnership tied to Texas High-Speed Rail Holdings LLC, have already started demolishing the 45-acre site.

“This is important early enabling and foundation work that will allow the project to proceed as soon as we get the green light,” a spokesperson for Texas High-Speed Rail Holdings LLC told KPRC 2. “Once approved, the project will create jobs and help drive important economic growth for Texas. Beyond the dedicated acreage that will house the high-speed rail station, development plans for a world-class multi-use site are being evaluated.”

“High-speed rail? Houston to Dallas? Not in our lifetime,” one Reddit user commented. 

“How long have they been talking about this now? Like 10 years or something?” another user said. 
Chron has reached out to Texas High-Speed Rail Holdings LLC, but officials were unable to comment. 

For now, even with demolition underway, the timeline for the high-speed rail project remains unclear. But after years of false starts, many residents say they’ll believe it when they see it.

“Mixed use apartments,” one Reddit user hypothesized. “We all know it’s gonna be mixed use apartments.”