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.
For a short time, it looked like the end of the line for James Frederick Miles and his supporters. Miles is the landowner from a rural county between Dallas and Houston who had fought fiercely against the proposed Texas Central high-speed rail (HSR) line between Dallas and a point near Houston. He had defeated the Texas Central Railroad & Infrastructure, Inc. (TCRI) and Integrated Texas Logistics, Inc. (ITL, known collectively as “Texas Central”) in a local court. When Texas Central appealed, the appellate court reversed the lower court’s verdict and ruled in favor of Texas Central. Then Miles petitioned the Texas Supreme Court for review, and the Court denied his petition on June 18, 2021.
A landowner in rural Texas is locked in a legal battle with the companies that are planning to build the Texas Central high-speed rail (HSR) project, which would establish a line between downtown Dallas and the intersection of two highways northwest of Houston. Texas Central plans to offer a 90-minute trip time point-to-point, using Japanese Shikansen equipment.
Now that approvals and permitting have been secured from the Federal Railroad Administration and State of Texas, “terminal development is the next step,” high-speed rail hopeful Texas Central said on Oct. 13, when its announced formation of the Texas High-Speed Rail Station Development Corporation (SDC). Meanwhile, two Texas Republican congressmen have sent a letter to the USDOT accusing Texas Central of attempting to engage in questionable business practices.
During a recent interview, the CEO of the Texas Central high speed rail project did not shed much light on progress. Instead, there appears to be more fog developing.
Privately funded high-speed rail developer Texas Central has signed on Spain’s Renfe as “early operator” of its proposed 236-mile line linking Dallas and Houston. Securing funding is next, the company reported July 14.
Privately funded high-speed rail developer Texas Central has signed a $16 billion “final agreement” with Italian firm Webuild Group and its U.S. subsidiary Lane Construction Corp. to build its 236-mile line connecting Dallas and Houston. Funding, however, is still yet to be secured.
The long-simmering controversy over high-speed rail (HSR) continued during a May 6 hearing before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Its theme: “When Unlimited Potential Meets Limited Resources: The Benefits and Challenges of High-Speed Rail and Emerging Rail Technologies.”
Texas Central says that the $20 billion project is now “shovel ready,” and following collaboration with the federal government, the State of Texas and a team of experts, it is ready to