TEXAS CONGRESSMEN WRITE LETTER OPPOSING HIGH SPEED RAIL
Two Texas Congressmen have written a letter to the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration voicing their opposition to a revival of the Texas High Speed Rail Project.
Jake Ellzey, who represents Texas’ 6th Congressional District, and Michael McCaul, who represents Texas’ 10th Congressional District, authored a letter to Administrator Amit Bose asking the FRA to deny the permits necessary for the project.
The letter comes after Texas Central Railroad and Amtrak announced plans in August to evaluate a potential partnership to revive the long dormant project that would have created a high-speed rail from Houston to Dallas.
According to the letter from Ellzey and McCaul, Amtrak and Texas Central Railroad have filed an application with the North Central Texas Council of Governments Corridor Identification Program.
They also submitted three applications jointly with the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program, and the Corridor Identification and Development Program Funding for the Amtrak Texas High Speed Rail Development Project.
The Congressmen state in the letter that if approved, these applications will result in taxpayer money being used by a private company to take private land from landowners through eminent domain.
They point out that the high-speed rail project has received fierce pushback from rural landowners, as well as, county and local governments along the route.
Ellzey and McCaul said, “Landowners deserve to have their land rights protected against the unrealistic and financially infeasible rail project.”