Reporter Marek Warszawski did a good job highlighting the issues regarding development of the high-speed rail through Fresno. He concluded that Fresno should strongly support the HSR despite cost overruns, I agree. The article cites former Mayor Jim Patterson’s objections related to excessive cost. Major projects frequently have cost overruns. What would the Bay Area be like without BART, also the cost overruns in reconstructing the Bay Bridge and locally, the costly PG&E pow

Texas Central Railroad held a luncheon Tuesday at the MLK Center, in regard to comments and concerns of the residents of Navarro County at the open forum in January. The Corsicana and Navarro County Chamber of Commerce hosted the luncheon, and Taco Station catered the event. Vice President of External Affairs for TCR Travis Kelly spoke on behalf of the High Speed Rail, attempting to clear up any misconceptions and answering questions the public has asked. When concerning prop

COTTON GIN, Texas - William Shelton will not let go of the past, even if it is in the way of someone else's future. He has spent more than five years rebuilding his family's ancestral home, board by board, and has no intention of leaving it or the 250-acre farm that has been in his family since 1851. Two years ago, surveyors started showing up, wanting a clear idea of his property lines for Texas Central Railway, the company behind plans for a 200-mph "bullet train" connectin

Texas Central Partners responded Thursday to accusations that top officials in eight rural counties have been bypassed in the company's mission to build a $15 billion high-speed rail line from Dallas to Houston. The company's response came after sheriffs from eight of the 10 counties along the line held a news conference Thursday in Anderson declaring that they haven't had adequate input on the plans for the new rail line. The sheriffs said they weren't contacted by the compa

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Jan. 29 will begin a series of 10 public hearings on its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed bullet train project in Texas. The first public hearing will be held in Dallas County. Others will be held in locations along the proposed route, which would extend from North Texas to Houston. The FRA is accepting comments on the DEIS until Feb. 20. The report analyzed six end-to-end build alternatives as well

About 100 miles north of Houston, the landscape is dotted with sprawling farms and remote ranches. But critics say parts of the region could change if the Federal Railroad Administration approves a $12 billion infrastructure project. Texas Central, a privately run railroad company, is hoping to build a high-speed bullet train similar to the bullet train system already in operation between Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The train would connect Dallas and Houston in less than 90 min

With the release of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Texas Central Partner’s high speed rail project, residents and agencies are pouring over the extensive document before scheduled public meetings are held during the 60-day comment period. “The process is specifically designed for public involvement,” said Texas Central on their website description of the DEIS. “The 60-day public comment period that began with the Dec. 22 notice i

I am guessing that most every blog reader has heard the somewhat-contemptuous phrase, "good enough for government work," used to discuss production that is mediocre at best and slipshod at worst. What few know, however, is the origin of this phrase, as discussed by Doris Kearns Goodwin in No Ordinary Time, her 1995 book about the home front during World War II. It turns out that the original meaning of this phrase was the exact opposite of the meaning it has since been given.

The Dallas-to-Houston bullet train rolled a few inches closer to the starting line Friday with the release of a long-awaited federal study that narrows down several possible routes to a single path through powerline easements. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, doesn't necessarily endorse the so-called Utility Corridor. The feds still have 60 days to hear from the public before a final decision is made at a date undete

Legislative sessions are almost always about the money — how much is available, and who is going to get it. The next session of the Texas Legislature will have the usual suspects in line —school finance, border security, pensions, etc. — but a new entry will be at the front of the line. His name is Harvey. This year’s regular and special legislative sessions were marked by financial wrangling, and by some analysts’ reckoning, lawmakers dug their successors a deep hole. The Te