Category Archives: railways

High Speed Rail Responds to Sub Regional Planning Commissioner. 3 Key Pieces Intel.

Quick response to the County Development Sub Regional Planning Commissioner Hiles by Texas Central Rail. 

Texas Central Rail responds with 3 points:

  • The North Texas to Houston High Speed Rail will add $36 Billion to the economy over 25 years
  • It will pay $2.5 billion in taxes to state, counties, cities, hospitals and school districts.
  • The “company WILL NOT seek ANY operational subsidies from the government”

Local news Only | Texas’ high-speed train will provide economic development,…

High Speed Rail Not Good for Rural Texas Says Community Development Sub Regional Planning Commissioner

Marty Hiles, Commissioner, Community Development Sub Regional Planning Commission, makes the following 7 points about the harm to rural land from high speed rail:

  • No Train Stops in rural Texas means no economic benefit for rural Texas
  • Rural property values will decline
  • 4 mile wide path of eminent domain is what high speed rail will take
  • Building the train tracks will destroy the environment in rural Texas
  • High Speed Rail construction will create a path like an F-5 tornado
  • High Speed…

5 Points from Lone Star Rail. Regional Rail Planning. Economic Development.

  • Passenger rail between Georgetown and San Antonio will improve our region’s mobility
  • The Lone Star Rail District vote to support the completion of an environmental impact study opens the door for federal capital funding
  • 5 viable rail tracks
  • Lone Star Rail is Economic Development
  • Lone Star Rail will use public-private partnerships

Statesman | Covington: A new approach to regional rail

Lege Trend: Golden State To Tighten High Speed Rail Oversight

What part of high speed rail is the California Legislature looking to reign in? More oversight for the high speed rail project

What sparked this change? Bipartisan concerns over high speed rail after a  report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office that triggered  questions about the project’s cost, schedule and scope.

What will California’s AB 2847 do?

  • Planning Disclosures. Require the rail authority to provide detailed cost, schedule and scope information about each segment  of…

5 Ways Houston Port Growth Impacts Texas infrastructure

Does increased Port of Houston traffic only translate to more cargo ships?  No, it also means:

  • strains on local roads with large trucks transporting cargo goods
  • strains on railroad infrastructure as railroads transport cargo goods
  • port channel dredging
  • maintaining sturdy docks
  • Port Infrastructure

What part of the country does the Port of Houston serve? The goal is to make the Port of Houston  “the distribution hub for the central U.S., from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi…

2 Step Funding. 1 High Speed Rail Station in the Golden State.

How did San Jose secure funding for a high speed rail station? In 2 steps:

  • $200,000 from the state of California
  • $400,000 from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

How did the funding for the high speed rail station come to fruition? A partnership agreement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority

Does the agremenet include development opportunities? Yes, for transit development and for  economic development that  creates a “vibrant and urban mixed-use setting…

UPDATE. Texas High Speed Rail Up for Big Award. WINNER.

Texas High Speed Rail won the Urban Land Institute’s Next Big Idea Award.

How did High Speed Rail win the award?

  • Supportive North Texas businesses
  • Suppotive North Texas local governments

Dallas Morning News | Biz Beat | Old Parkland campus one of North Texas’ Urban Land Institute award winners

Dallas Business Journal | How High Speed Rail Won UILs Next Big Idea Award

Texas High Speed Rail is 1 of 3 nominees for the Next Big Idea Award awarded by the Urban Land Institute of North…

5 Things Said about Brazos Valley Council Opposition to Texas High Speed Rail

  • Dallas Morning News editorial: “But the eminent domain scare tactic is getting old.”
  • Grimes County Judge Ben Leman: “Now we know that it will take huge amounts of eminent domain.”
  • Kyle Workman, Texans Against High Speed Rail: ““a strong message to the Japanese investors that one of the main target markets for this project absolutely does not want it.”
  • Brazos Valley Council of Governments media release: “a solid blow to [Texas Central’s] claim of strong support in the Brazos Valley…

3 Points on What the Opposition to High Speed Rail Gets Wrong.

The Dallas Morning News editorial isn’t a fan of the Brazos Valley Council opposition to Texas High Speed Rail from Dallas to Houston. Let’s look at what the DMN says the BVC gets wrong:

  • There’s a public benefit to businesses along the train’s path and to consumers who won’t have to sit in 6 hours of traffic and can count on a 90 minute train trip
  • The risk will be born by the high speed rail investors- so subsidies. no special favors.
  • $36 billion in revenue over 25 years is estimated for…