Wednesday’s City Council briefing will include presentations on some of the most significant projects facing Dallas: the state’s progress on planning the I-345 trench between downtown and Deep Ellum, the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, the Vision Zero effort to reduce pedestrian deaths, and the possible high-speed rail extension from downtown to Fort Worth.

We’ll have coverage on all of these matters next week, but for today’s purposes, let’s explore the rail line. Most of the discussion has been happening in Arlington, during meetings of what’s known as the Regional Transportation Council. It’s dry, bureaucratic stuff. Representatives from all North Texas cities discuss priorities and funding. And Dallas is increasingly appearing fractured from the other cities, particularly Arlington and Fort Worth.

As I’ve reported, our western neighbors receive subterranean rail stations. The rail line would surface in West Dallas and run through downtown and into the Cedars, 75 feet into the air. That's about seven stories high.

Some Dallas council members have urged a pause and directed the North Central Texas Council of Governments, or NCTCOG, to do more research on how this would impact our city.

The federal government signed off on the station in the Cedars in 2017, years before voters gave their permission to spend $3 billion on a new convention center adjacent to the planned line. The Trinity Park Conservancy, after years of dithering, finally has decided to build the Harold Simmons Park above the levee in West Dallas; the line will sail over portions of the park. Hunt Realty Investments, which owns 25 acres near Reunion Tower and the Hyatt Regency, has announced plans to build a $5 billion mixed use development next to that convention center. They don’t believe their plans and the rail line can coexist.

Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has been the most outspoken of her colleagues at the RTC meetings about slowing things down: “You would not want your city to have to vote for something when you don’t have all the information,” she said.

The NCTCOG seems to want a formal resolution from the city of Dallas supporting the elevated rail line. The organization has already put five other unrelated transportation projects on hold until Dallas says yes: “Regional funding is limited, and funding for these projects may be impacted by future funding for high-speed rail and other associated projects in or near downtown Dallas,” read a statement from the organization.

All of this sets the stage for what will likely be a prickly briefing. The presentation hasn’t been posted, so it’s not clear what the Council will be told.

Regional transportation planning is tricky. Fort Worth and Arlington would love a high-speed rail connection to Dallas. (Even if planners have already admitted that it’s essentially useless if the Dallas to Houston line doesn’t come to fruition.)

The risk is all in Dallas, where the privately-owned land is, where the major investments are planned. Let’s hope for a robust discussion on Wednesday. There’s plenty to talk through.