Category Archives: railways

The Other High Speed Rail. $468 Billion Price Tag. 3 Things to Know from California.

What’s the high speed rail in Claifornia? A state backed project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

California has been looking for building partners and the responses questioned the state financing. The issues raised:

  • whether fare revenues would cover operating costs
  • can this be done without public subsidies, which the project is prohibited by law from using?
  • can  the first 300-mile segment between the San Fernando and Central valleys turn a profit like the project claims?…

7 Points: Economic Study Supporting TX High Speed Rail

  • $36 Billion impact over 25 years
  • All counties, not just those with stations, will reap economic benefits
  • Texas Central Rail will pay property taxes in all counties
  • Those property taxes are going to local schools too
  • Economic boon is higher in localities with stations which will see commercial and residential economic benefits
  • 10,000 full time jobs during construction
  • $10 bllion in eocnomic output

Houston Chronicle | Study finds high-speed rail line an economic shot for Texas

Dallas…

Houston Area Transportation Leaders Comment on Texas High Speed Rail

Who? Alan Clark is the director of transportation planning for the Houston-Galveston Area Council & Jeff Collins, a board member for the Transportation Advocacy Group

Where? A discussion with Community Impact papers in the greater Houston Area

What did they say? 

Collins said: 

  • I am a big proponent of that project just because I see the potential benefit—not only to Houston [and] Dallas—but also the state of Texas with high-speed rail in place.
  • I do think it will get…

Japan Says 6 Things About Texas High Speed Rail

  1. A plan to use Japanese shinkansen technology for Texas high speed rail is moving forward as the project is acquiring land
  2. Tim Keith, CEO of Texas Central Partners, said that land has been secured  in Dallas to build a station
  3. construction of which is expected to start in 2017 for completion as early as 2021
  4. It will be the 1st US high spped rail to use Japanese shinkansen technology
  5. Texas Central Rail will seek foreign investors from ” sources such as overseas sovereign wealth funds…

New High Speed Rail Project Pops Up with an ingenious American-made funding plan

How do you get more people to the gambling oasis in the desert? High speed rail between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Which entities are involved in the high speed rail project? XpressWest partnership with China Railway International

Foreign investment? Yes

What’s their high speed rail plan look like?

  •  $100 million in seed money, to “accelerate launch” of the line.
  • The September 2016 target date to start construction
  •  the project’s environmental documents are already in…

TX High Speed Rail On Schedule. The To-Do List for the Rail. 2 Potential Blocks.

Texas Central Rail CEO Tim Kieth says the remaining steps to move forward on high speed rail are:

  •  the environmental impact statement approval focus of the next next 90 to 180 days
  • need to conclude work with the Federal Railroad Administration “as it relates to our rules for operating the high-speed rail system,” 

Two potential snags:

  • farmers and ranchers who are unwilling to sell land
  • Texans Againt High Speed Rail say the problems are 3 fold: Budget viability, eminent domain and…

Senator Schwerter on High Speed Rail

  • Schwertner says the trains can’t provide an economic development benefit to affected landowners in 11 counties, of which five are in his district.
  • Schwertner says if TCR gets it built and they run out of money, there are 40 House members from Houston and 40 more from the Dallas-Fort Worth area that will vote to keep the trains running.

WTAW summarizing Senator Schwertner’s comments to a local Chamber of Commerce

Regional Transportation Council Funding Texas High Speed Rail

“The Regional Transportation Council earlier this month agreed to pay $4.5 million through 2018 to keep up planning efforts on the portion of the proposed bullet train system that would connect Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas.”

What’s the source of the funds? “The council decided to use $4.5 million in surplus revenue collected from the region’s toll roads.”

What will the toll money be used for? “preliminary engineering, and will help the high-speed rail commission gather the data it…

UPDATE: Mexico-US New Train Bridge

The first train bridge in 100 years is now open between Mexico and the US. 

Statesman

 

 May 7, 2015, Information Intelligence:

Cameron County Judge Suplevada announced that the new US-Mexico bridge will open in July. Background:

  • The new US- Mexico bridge is the first in 100 years
  • It’s original opening date was April 2015
  • What’s holding up the bridge: an x-ray unit that was relocated on the Mexican side
  • Union Pacific will operate rail movements on the US Side
  •  Kansas City…

$32 Billion transportation bond approved in Red State

55% of Phoenix voters approved a $31.7 billion transportation bond package that will add:

  •  Triple Valley Metro’s light rail system
  • Add more buses
  • More city street upgrades
  • 1,150 Miles of Bike Lanes
  • 170 Miles of Sidewalks

The bond package will be backed by:

  • The city’s transportation sales tax will go to 0.7% from the current 0.4%
    • Except for​transactions over $10,000, which are exempted
  • $5.1 billion of ​​Transit fares 

The financials are:

  • $2.9 billion for debt service…