WALLER MEETING ABOUT HIGH SPEED RAIL PROJECT

  

Waller County residents will have another chance to sound off about a controversial high-speed rail project that would link Houston and Dallas.  A town hall meeting is planned this morning (Saturday) at Waller High School.

At a town hall meeting held earlier this month, residents talked about the possibility of their land being taken through eminent domain.

Texas Central Partners is privately funding the $12-billion project they say will link the two major cities in a 90-minute run.

Waller County landowners sounded off, saying they don’t believe any private company should have the authority of eminent domain to take land from property owners.

Congressman Kevin Brady has thrown his support behind land owners, urging Texas lawmakers to seek an opinion from the attorney general.

Brady says he’ll oppose any requests for federal funding for the private project.  Texas Central Partners has not requested any federal funds to this point.

In a statement, Texas Central Partners says the counties along the corridor and the state will receive a financial windfall from high-speed rail, which will provide thousands of jobs and an economic impact of $36 billion over the next 25 years.

Texas Central says there would be one stop on the line, and that would be in Grimes County.

The town hall meeting to discuss the high speed rail project will be this morning (Saturday) at Waller High School from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.