#Private

Bullet-train battle moves toward special session

AUSTIN — They’re still working on the railroad, but while advocates of the high-speed train linking Dallas and Houston remain bullish about getting off the drawing board and on track, new barriers could loom. “We’re going to do everything we can to get ourselves inserted into the special (legislative) session” scheduled to begin July 18, Kyle Workman, president of Texans Against High-Speed Rail, said in a Wednesday telephone interview. Chris Lippincott, executive director of

Grimes County, Texas Central dispute impact of court judgment

But the company behind the train says not so fast. On Tuesday County Judge Ben Leman said a court granted an injunction that would in his words, stops the train in it's tracks. "With this ruling as well as the regulations in every single county from Ellis to Waller and only a few weeks left of our current legislative session, it does not seem as if this high speed rail project is going to make progress anytime soon," said Leman. Grimes County took Texas Central Railway to cou

Texas high speed rail would be a colossal waste of taxpayer money

Despite numerous studies concluding that a building a high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston would be an unsustainable, taxpayer funded train wreck, Texas Central is determined to build it anyway. For several years, Texas Central has insisted that it won’t need taxpayer money to bailout the project because ridership volume will be huge! But neither the public nor the experts are buying the company’s claim. These studies referenced by the Reason Foundation including one fu

Company plans first U.S. bullet train, opponents doubt viability

After decades of use in Japan, the "bullet train" may finally be coming to America if a Texas company gets its way. Texas Central Railway says the line would run between Dallas and Houston as early as 2024 carrying five million riders per year. Company president Tim Keith says commuters along the busy corridor are demanding more options besides cars or planes. "Texans have told us they want to ride the bullet train," Keith said from the roof of his office overlooking where th

Texas senators don't want state funds to be used to build Houston-to-Dallas bullet train

State lawmakers who oppose high-speed rail are trying to use a budget rider to stop the Texas Department of Transportation from assisting a private company that wants to build a high-speed rail line from Houston to Dallas. The Senate Finance Committee approved the budget rider 14-1 Wednesday, with Sen. Royce West of Dallas opposed. It will next be heard on the Senate floor as part of debates related to the full budget. Sen. Charles Schwertner has joined a group of rural lawma

Lawmakers Take Action to Derail Bullet Train

AUSTIN, TX - A group of key state lawmakers recently filed a slate of legislation to push back against Texas Central Railway’s controversial proposal to construct a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. Senators Birdwell (R-Granbury), Creighton (R-Conroe), Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), Perry (R-Lubbock), and Schwertner (R-Georgetown) joined with Representatives Ashby (R-Lufkin), Bell (R-Magnolia), Cook (R-Corsicana), Schubert (R-Caldwell), and Wray (R-Waxahachie) to file

With private funding and no public incentives, how can we oppose the Texas bullet train?

As a transit option, a Texas bullet train would be a major breakthrough. As an economic development project, it would be off the charts. That's because taxpayers don’t have to cough up anything to make it happen. That’s almost unheard of — not only for giant investments but even for small ones. A high-speed rail system between Dallas and Houston would cost an estimated $12 billion, and the economic impact would be widespread and lasting. Yet the developers, Texas Central Part

Developers say recent Texas high-speed rail study lacks proper data

The developers behind the plan to connect Dallas and Houston via high-speed rail fired back Friday against conclusions in a study that warned the project may run massive deficits. Texas Central Partners plans to construct a 240-mile Houston-to-Dallas rail line funded by private investors. The company has repeatedly said that it won’t seek public funding, but the Reason Foundation said in a report this month that the train line could cost taxpayers $21.5 billion and could run

Texas Central reaches 'milestone' on land options for high-speed rail

Texas Central announced yesterday that it has reached land option agreements on 30 percent of the parcels needed for its plan to build a high-speed train route between Dallas and Houston. Negotiations have resulted in option agreements in all 10 counties through which the train would travel — a milestone for the company's land option program, Texas Central officials said in a press release. The option agreements included 50 percent of the parcels for the proposed route in

High-speed rail developer drops lawsuits against landowners

Texas Central Partners officials said they are instead going to try and have an “open dialogue” with landowners about letting the company onto their land. “We’re stepping back and going back to conversations and taking some of the heat out of our process,” said Texas Central President Tim Keith. Texas Central Partners is developing a 240-mile bullet train line intended to transport passengers between Houston and Dallas in 90 minutes with a stop near Bryan. The company has par