Category Archives: railways

7 Points. Mayor Turner Mobility Plan

  • Land Use decisions will be front and center. Limited Land. Lots of Transportation projects.
  • Wider streets can be less appealing
  • Not every street needs a bike lane
  • Light rail should be where people want it, not in neighborhoods that don’t want light rail
  • Buses will be the backbone of mass transit
  • 2 Way HOV lanes on ALL freeways
  • Culture Change– remove the stigma that buses are for the poor & hipsters

 

Mass Transit | TX: Seven Points of Conversation From Mayor Turner’s Houston…

Texas High Speed Rail Job Numbers.

  • 40,000 jobs to be created during construction
  • 1 subsidiary of the Japanese company created in Dallas to oversee the High Speed Rail
  • 20 technical and operations experts in Dallas
  • $10 to $12 billion project
  • 1,000 employees for the high speed rail
  • 2021 completion 

Dallas Business Journal | Japanese company to create Dallas subsidiary for Texas bullet train

The Hill | Texas rail project poised to generate local jobs, economic benefits, choice for travelers

TREND. High Speed Rail Delay in the West. Follow the Funding in 4 Intel Pieces.

How long will California’s high speed rail be delayed? An additional 4 years

The reason for the delay? Federal funding was contringent on a portion of the high speed rail being completed by 2017.That portion is not finished. The original deadline was set in 2009.

Does the delay impact federal funding? No, federal funding keeps flowing. The project was originally funded through the Recovery and Reinvestment funds. 

What other funding sources fund high speed rail in California?

  • $500…

High Speed Rail by the Numbers in Texas. A Conservative View.

One conservative voice describes Texas Central Rail high speed rail from Dallas to Houston like this:

  • 10,000 jobs created, mostly in Japan
  • 9 of the 11 counties oppose it 
  • 49 U.S.C § 10901 may allow Texas Central Rail to be exempt from Texas eminent domain laws
  • May 10, 2016, 12+ Texas state Senators and Representatives write the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board opposing an exemption to state eminent domain laws

The Hill | Texas high speed train project takes land from…

+1 County in Opposition Column. High Speed Rail.

Which County Commissioners voted to oppose Texas Central Rail high speed rail plan? Navarro County Commissioners 

The number of counties staking claim to official opposition: 7

The basis for the opposition in Navarro County? Oppose the granting of eminent domain authority to the private high speed rail

County Judge names legislators who support the County Commissioner opposition resulation: Representative Byron Cook and Senator Brian Birdwell

Corsicana Daily Sun | County…

Support for High Speed Rail. +1 City. +1 Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Which local governmetns voted to support Texas Central Rail high speed rail project between Dallas & Houston?

  • Waco City Council
  • Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization

On what is the Waco support based?

  • high speed rail project will be an p​economic catalyst
  • high speed rail is an efficient way to reduce traffic congestion

Waco High Speed Rail Resolution

Waco MPO High Speed Rail Resolution

News 25 Waco | Waco city council endorses Texas high-speed rail project

3 Points from the Opposition. High Speed Rail. Ellis County.

The Ellis County Press published an Op-Ed from Texans Against High Speed Rail.

What points does Texans Against High Speed Rail make in its Op-Ed?

  • Texas Central Rail doesn’t have its funding in place
  • Texas Central Rail has no problems using eminent domain to take land it doesn’t need
  • Texas Central Rail is asking the federal government whether it has to comply with Texas eminent domain laws

Ellis County Press | TCR proposes to acquire land it ultimately won’t use to satisfy investors

3 Point Speed Read. Waller County. High Speed Rail.

Will eminent domain be used by Texas Centeral Rail to build its Dallas-Houston high speed rail?  Only if deals cannot be reached

How did property owners in Waller County react?

  • Waller County Judge Trey Duhon: “This is a huge eminent domain issue. Texas is a huge private property right state.” 
  • A property owner turned away a precondemnation surveyor on his property
  • Reports are that deals will never come.

High Speed Rail is turning into a standoff.

KHOU | Waller County landowners vow…

TRENDING. High Speed Rail Reforms in California. 1 Editorial. 5 Suggestions.

The Los Angels Times editorial, Californians deserve more transparency on bullet train finances, the take aways:

  • Support “common-sense transparency measures that can help them properly oversee the project”
  • Lawmakers should be told how high speed rail will cover the full cost of the project
  • Require that the authority include its projected borrowing costs in its business plan
  • Disclose the long term costs of debt financing and securitization of debt issued against future cap-and-trade…