Part 5 of 5: Congressman Attacks Texas Central on a Second Front

For the past few weeks, Railway Age has conducted an in-depth examination of the case of Miles v. Texas Central Railroad & Infrastructure, Inc. (TCRI) and Integrated Texas Logistics, Inc. (ITL), now before the Texas Supreme Court. TCRI and ITL are collectively known as “Texas Central” and they want to build a high-speed rail (HSR) line between Dallas and a location northwest of Houston where two major highways intersect. Congressman (R-Tex.) Jake Ellzey filed his own objections to the project. So did a number of others, including several local elected officials, all of whom happen to be Republicans. The day before oral argument was scheduled before the Court, Ellzey opened a second front by introducing a bill in the House that would stop the Texas Central project and others like it dead in their tracks, even in the apparently unlikely event that the Court should side with Texas Central.

Commentary

California HSR: Limited Clear

Exactly three years ago, I pronounced the California High-Speed Rail project dead, and issued a poor prognosis for high-speed rail generally in the United States (Whither (Wither) High-Speed Rail?, posted here in

A ‘Desirable’ Return for St. Louis Loop Trolley?

The Delmar Loop Trolley in St. Louis ran in its namesake neighborhood for 235 service days in late 2018 and 2019. Now the “trolley”—two cars operating with pantographs instead of trolley poles, despite their appearance as replicas of historic cars from the early 1900s—is expected back on Delmar and DeBaliviere Boulevards as early as this June for a return engagement; probably a limited one.

Commentary

STB Slug-Out: Amtrak vs. CSX, Round 1

In the twelfth in a series of reports and commentaries concerning the ongoing “Second Battle of Mobile Bay,” Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono called for “reason” to prevail and urged the parties to

Brightline service resumed Nov. 8, 2021, following a suspension on March 25, 2020, due to the pandemic.

Brightline: Progress, Potential, a Whole New Market?

Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, is progressing in its effort to extend service north to Orlando International Airport (OIA) and beyond. There is also an opportunity for Brightline to capture an entirely new ridership base, if the railroad is willing to add a specific new line of service.

Commentary

Passenger Rail Dollar Bills From BIL: Apply Now

If you run the sort of organization that has the know-how to manage a passenger rail corridor, the ability to get some money together but need more, and an available stretch of railroad that could accommodate such a corridor, this is your chance to tell the FRA about it and apply for a grant to get that line started.

Commentary

End of an Era at NJ Transit

In a sense, New Jersey Transit will never be the same after the end of February. That’s when Joyce J. Zuczek, Secretary to the agency’s Board of Directors, will retire after more than 45 years’ service at NJT and its predecessor, the Commuter Operating Agency (COA) within the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).

Gulf Coast Battle: CSX Seeks Shipper Support; Amtrak Advocates Respond (UPDATED)

As the battle between Amtrak and potential host freight railroads CSX and NS over proposed passenger trains between New Orleans and Mobile heats up, CSX has turned up the heat another notch.

Part 4 of 5: Is This the End of the Line?

Since 2016, Texas landowner James Frederick Miles and the companies that are planning the Texas Central high-speed-rail line between Dallas and the edge of Houston have been engaged in a battle that has worked its way to the top of the court system in the Lone Star State: the Texas Supreme Court. The briefs have been submitted and oral argument was held on Jan. 11. Now it’s time to wait for the Court’s opinion, which will essentially determine whether or not the proposed line will actually be built. Beyond that, the case could create an atmosphere that will be either friendly or hostile to new railroad starts within and beyond Texas, whether those starts are high-speed or conventional rail lines.

Commentary

STB Sets Gulf Coast Hearing, But Amtrak Loses Pre-Hearing Round

Decision Day draws closer in the tussle between Amtrak and potential host railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) over whether or not there will be passenger trains running between New Orleans and Mobile in the near future.

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