A 240-mile high-speed-rail project that would connect North Texas and Houston in 90 minutes is advancing after an Aug. 14 agreement. Texas Central Rail Holdings LLC, the developer of the rail, announced that Fluor Enterprises Inc., a subsidiary of Fluor Corp., and The Lane Construction Corp., a subsidiary of Salini Impregilo, will refine and update the project’s construction planning, sequencing, procurement and other civil infrastructure-related design and engineering activities. The agreement also states that, after the development phase and financial close, Fluor and Lane would be the preferred design-build team for the project. The privately financed project has an estimated cost of more than $15 billion. Helping to determine the timeline and final route, an environmental impact statement is underway and should be complete later this year. Stakeholders hope to begin construction in late 2018 or early 2019.