Tag Archives: Robert Eckels

Will Radack and Cagle break quorum to stop a tax rate hike?

We’ll find out today. Harris County Commissioners Court has scheduled a vote Tuesday to hike property taxes by 8 percent, though the two Republican members can thwart the plan by simply skipping the vote. A quirk in the Texas Government … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hidalgo gets started

If you weren’t paying attention to County Judge-elect Lina Hidalgo before, you are now. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the lone Democrat currently on the court, said Hidalgo is a quick study who will settle into the role quickly. “She’s … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Storm protection is expensive

But then so would be getting hit by a truly bad storm. Building a storm surge protection system along the Texas Gulf Coast could cost between $7.9 billion and $11 billion, and likely would not be completed for about two … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Press on the high speed rail line

The Press devotes a cover story to the proposed Houston-Dallas high speed rail line. Most of what’s there will be familiar to anyone who has been following this along with me, but this bit from the story caught my eye. … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Katrina, ten years after

Hurricane Katrina made landfall ten years ago this weekend. The Chron looks at the role Houston played in the aftermath, and the changes that resulted. Before and after Katrina’s Aug. 29 landfall as a strong Category 3 storm, more than … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Katrina, ten years after

Bill filed to kill high speed rail line

Given all that’s been going on lately, I suppose this was inevitable. A lawmaker whose district sits near the proposed route for a planned bullet train connecting Houston and Dallas filed a bill Wednesday that could stop the project in … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas Central chooses a corridor

We have a single preferred route for the Houston to Dallas high speed rail line. Texas Central High-Speed Railway (TCR) today informed the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that it recommends narrowing the consideration of potential high-speed rail corridors between Houston … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Central chooses a corridor

Bringing the high speed rail line downtown

Building that high speed rail line from Dallas to Houston is one thing. Bringing it to a centrally-located terminal is another. Plans for a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas are moving relatively quickly beyond a recent initial round … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bringing the high speed rail line downtown

Public meetings coming for Texas Central Railway

Part of the process of getting the Houston-to-Dallas line built. A proposed high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston, already the subject of a federal environmental review, will soon be the focus of a series of public meetings in Texas, … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Public meetings coming for Texas Central Railway

Environmental impact studies can begin for Texas high speed rail

Another step forward. The Federal Railroad Administration published a document on its website Wednesday officially kicking off a highly anticipated environmental review of a proposed high speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. The document, called a Notice Of Intent … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Environmental impact studies can begin for Texas high speed rail

The Mayors love high speed rail

As well they should. The mayors of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth announced Thursday their unified support for the construction of a privately funded bullet train between the two metropolitan regions. “If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable, private alternative … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Mayors love high speed rail

Federal studies for the Houston-Dallas high speed rail line

It’s a step forward. The federal government, Texas and a private company are collectively working on two studies to assess the impact of a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx confirmed Tuesday. … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let’s not get the private high speed rail line bogged down in politics

I’m always interested in stories about the Texas high speed rail line. The company, Texas Central High-Speed Railway, drew attention last year when it announced plans to develop a high-speed rail line without public subsidies. Texas transportation officials took the … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let’s not get the private high speed rail line bogged down in politics

Here comes the Dome renovation committee

I was wondering when we’d see this. Reliant Park and Harris County officials on Thursday announced the launch of a campaign to garner voter support for a plan to redevelop the Astrodome, with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Precinct … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes the Dome renovation committee

Who’s advocating for the Dome?

Some old familiar names are getting back in the game. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Tuesday after the Commissioners Court meeting name-dropped two former county judges — Jon Lindsay and Robert Eckels — who will lead the charge on … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Riding that (privately funded) train

Another story on the vaunted high speed rail line for Texas. The leaders of Texas Central High-Speed Railway sound very confident for a company expecting to succeed where scores of state planners, elected officials and private interests have failed. The … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Financing the Dallas to Houston high speed rail line

The way things are going, this could get built before the final pieces of the 2012 Metro Solutions plan. If high-speed rail comes to North Texas by 2020, the bullet trains will initially rely on the area’s road system — … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Financing the Dallas to Houston high speed rail line

Dallas-Houston high speed rail update

The people working on this sure do sound optimistic, even if what they’ve got is still basically vaporware. A trip from Houston to Dallas could take travelers 90 minutes if former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, president of Lone Star … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dallas-Houston high speed rail update

A brief history of Houston-based political corruption

Nice overview of the political crime scene. Houston’s political landscape is littered with careers wrecked or damaged by allegations of wrongdoing, and for watchers of the political scene, the sight of [County Commissioner Jerry] Eversole in cuffs likely rekindled memories … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ike Dike update

As the first Atlantic tropical storms of the year make their appearance, we get an update on the proposed Ike Dike. One of Hurricane Ike’s legacies may be the hardening of the upper Texas coast against hurricane storm surges. Within … Continue reading

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Commuter rail update

Christof has some surprisingly good news for those who want to see commuter rail in the Houston area. There hasn’t been much public movement on commuter rail since the HGAC’s study was released a year ago. But quietly, gears are … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the SUPERTRAIN

Are the stars really aligning to bring a SUPERTRAIN to Texas? Maybe so! Current plans for a Texas system envision a “T-bone” track shape connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston and other towns. But much remains vague: where exactly the … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the SUPERTRAIN

A SUPERTRAIN for Texas?

It could happen. The idea of high-speed rail is being pushed again in a big way in Texas, and backers hope to have $12 billion to $18 billion high-speed trains running by 2020. This time, they say they have taken … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A SUPERTRAIN for Texas?