Category Archives: railways

6 Points from Sen. Konnie Burton Op Ed on TEX Rail

  • 27 miles of rail has an enormous price tag of $998.78 million
  • local officials are aggressively pushing it & have not secured funding
  • “our community” hasn’t signaled a “desire” for mass transit, even Travis County voted before they approved rail & we haven’t
  • local officials are  entering into a deal with the” irrational and fiscally irresponsible federal government”
  • it won’t have an impact on traffic congestion based on the environmental impact study
  • rail projects attract high earners…

West Coast Bullet Train May Change Course.

After condemning 350 pieces of property to build the first 28 miles of track in Southern California, the first segment of operational track may be moved to San Francisco Bay Area.

Why the switch in starting track? The Los Angeles portion of the high speed rail is expected to be:

  • costly
  • time-consuming
  • geologically complex  with the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains and a large system of tunnels and aerial structures

East Bay Express | Monday Must Reads: Transportation Funding Hurt by…

Calling Japan to Stop High Speed Rail. 3 Quick Points to Be Informed.

Texas elected officials are reaching out to Japan? Indeed, 33 East TX Officials, opponents to high speed rail, have contacted the Ambassador to Japan 

Who signed the letter? Local Officials, like county judges, county commissioners and members of sub-regional planning commissions, and legislators

  • 11 Republican members of the Legislature: Sens. Brian Birdwell of Granbury, Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, and Reps. Trent Ashby of Lufkin, Cecil Bell of…

High Speed Rail. Compare & Contrast. The Bids to Build.

California is the other big state thats working on high speed rail. The Californians are further along than other high speed rail projects.

California has aquired land and has awarded bids for building.

So, let’s take a look, so we can see what’s on the horizon. Knowledge is power.

The California bids for a 22 mile stretch of high speed rail in the San Joaquin Valley:

  • apparent best value bid: California Rail Builders. $347.5 million. 
    • competitors came in at $377 million; $462…

3 Concerns Raised by Residents Against Texas Central Rail

Texas Central partners hosted an open house in Madisonville. Residents let their feelings be heard. Here’s what they said:

  • “We’re heartbroken, we’re shocked, my sons have been crying and it’s not right,”
  • “I would be upset about this issue even if it did not directly impact us, because this is the unlawful usurpation of Texans’ property.”
  • “All we wanted to do is become a part of the community and be left alone, and now we have to potentially fight this,”

Bryan College Station Eagle…

INTERIM Lege Trend: Self Driving Big Rigs & Trains. The New Self Driving Car. 5 Effects in Texas. 3 Companies Moving Forward.

Freight movement is entering a new, driverless world. Both 18 wheelers and train cargo are entering a new automated world. The future is now.

5 Ways driverless freight will impact  Texas:

  • it will change the economics of freight shipping
  • resolve truck driver shortages
  • reduce the cost of freight shipping
  • more fuel efficient freight shipping
  • safer freight shipping

The big truck companies testing driverless big rigs:

  • Freightliner/Daimler
  •  Volvo
  • Peterbilt

Forbes | Self-Driving…

Japan Plans 2 Investments in US High Speed Rail.

Japan seeks to invest in 2 U.S. Projects:

  • Texas Central Rail, high speed rail between Dallas and Houston utilizing shinkansen bullet trains
  •  a Northeast Corridor Maglev train between Washington and New York.

Details about the Texas investment:

  • Funding will be from “Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development”
  • Funding is via a public-private fund

Nikkei Asian Review | Japan’s high-speed trains gaining interest in US