Tag Archives: high speed rail

Texas Central hopes to start construction this year

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It would be best for them if they get going before the Lege can take any action against them. After an economic impact statement and safety rules are completed, the Texas High-Speed Train may begin construction before the end of … Continue reading →

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The people who oppose the high speed rail line still oppose the high speed rail line

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. In the same room where many mobilized against the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor freeway project 15 years ago, critics of a proposed Houston-to-Dallas bullet train promised to shoot that down, too. No matter how long that … Continue reading →

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Texas Central signs a manufacturing deal

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

For your information. The bullet train planned between Houston and Dallas has a builder. Texas Central, the private company developing the Texas Bullet Train, announced Friday morning it signed a deal with Salini Impregilo, the Italian construction giant, and its … Continue reading →

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Metro referendum is set

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members voted Tuesday to ask voters in November for permission to borrow up to $3.5 billion, without raising taxes. The money would cover the first phase of what local leaders expect to be … Continue reading →

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Where hyperloops are headed

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Henry Grabar looks at trends in hyperloop development and notes an interesting trend. Last year, I checked in with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a company that hopes to pioneer terrestrial transit at the speed of sound using a cadre of far-flung … Continue reading →

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Bullet train dodges more bullets

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

More good news for Texas Central. The Dallas-Houston high-speed rail project dodged a bullet this week when lawmakers hashing out the state budget released their decision to strike a provision that could have delayed the project. A committee of Texas … Continue reading →

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Still waiting to see if an anti-Texas Central bill passes

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still time, and anything can happen in the Lege, but so far it’s looking like Texas Central will make it through more or less unscathed. High-speed rail developers have been eyeing a 240-mile stretch of mostly rural land sandwiched … Continue reading →

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Time for another Texas Central legislative update

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I keep thinking that Texas Central has reached a point where there’s not much that can be done in the Lege to stop them, and events continue to prove otherwise. Dallas-Houston bullet train developer Texas Central Partners LLC said its … Continue reading →

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Texas Central gets an adverse court ruling

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to say how much effect this will have. The planned high-speed rail project from Houston to Dallas hit a big obstacle last week in rural Leon County when a judge there declared the project’s backers did not have authority … Continue reading →

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The next eminent domain fight

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Coming to a Lege near you. Holly Reed, Texas Central’s managing director of external affairs, said the company prefers not to use eminent domain “at all” and would rather work out amicable sales agreements for the thousands of parcels needed … Continue reading →

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Are we ready for Texas Central?

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is more about the experience than anything else. Texas Central said it will break ground late next year on the first bullet train line in the United States, which will connect Dallas to Houston, and the train, technology and … Continue reading →

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The state of the high speed rail line

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A good long read from the Trib. Private developer Texas Central Partners LLC plans to build a train that will shuttle people between Dallas and Houston in 90 minutes along a 240-mile route roughly parallel to a highway corridor that … Continue reading →

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When train companies fight

Posted on September 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t we all just get along? A competitor of the company trying to build a Dallas-to-Houston bullet-train connection has blasted the notion that a high-speed rail line can be built without public money. “The whole thing is just a dream,” … Continue reading →

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Texas Central and Amtrak

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Connectivity is good. Amtrak and Texas Central announced a partnership Friday to link the proposed bullet train from Dallas to Houston to the national passenger rail network. Passengers will be able to book their bullet train trips through Amtrak. The partnership … Continue reading →

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Time for an update on that other high speed rail line

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been awhile. Backers continue to move along on plans to build a bullet-train route between Dallas and Houston, but it’s not the only high-speed passenger rail project on Texas drawing boards. With a proposal to run between cities such … Continue reading →

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SNCF has qualms about Texas Central

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who is SNCF? They’re another passenger rail company, one that has also expressed an interest in building lines in Texas, and they have offered some negative feedback to the Texas Central high speed rail line. One of the world’s largest … Continue reading →

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Metro to buy buses for Uptown BRT

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward. Metro officials next week are set to spend at least $11.2 million on buses for bus rapid transit service along Post Oak, committing the agency to spending on the controversial project after years of discussion. Metropolitan Transit … Continue reading →

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Northwest Mall will be your Houston high speed rail terminal

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Texas Central Partners and Houston-area elected officials on Monday announced that the company, which is seeking federal approval for a 240-mile high-speed train line, has chosen Northwest Mall near Loop 610 and U.S. 290 as their preferred site. … Continue reading →

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People who oppose the high speed rail line continue to oppose the high speed rail line

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The DEIS hearings go as you’d expect them to. Meetings to discuss a proposed high-speed train between Houston and Dallas pulled into some of the areas most opposed to the project on Tuesday night, as federal environmental meetings continue to … Continue reading →

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Public meetings for Texas Central draft EIS

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You got something you want to say about the proposed high speed rail line and its possible routes, here’s your chance. Houston residents are being asked to weigh in on a plan to build a $12 billion high-speed train between … Continue reading →

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Texas Central picks its midway stop

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, Roans Prairie. A proposed high-speed train between Houston and Dallas on Thursday announced its midpoint, even as common ground with opponents near the proposed Roans Prairie stop remains elusive. Texas Central, the company proposing the Texas Bullet Train, said … Continue reading →

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The possible Houston high speed rail stations

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: ONE OF THESE 3 spots revealed in a report from the Federal Railroad Administration will be the planned site for the Houston-Dallas high-speed rail line’s Houston terminal. All 3 are near the intersection of the 610 Loop and … Continue reading →

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High speed rail line route finalist chosen

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’d where the Texas Central rail route will be, modulo some possible final tweaks and any further political obstacles. Federal officials narrowed the possible paths for a Dallas-Houston bullet train down to one likely route Friday, providing an unknown number … Continue reading →

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Hyperloop versus high-speed rail

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been pondering whether our state is big enough for two high speed land-based forms of transportation, and I think the answer is “yes, at least for now”. The Hyperloop is nearly twice as fast as Texas Central’s High-Speed Rail … Continue reading →

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Houston signs memorandum of understanding with Texas Central

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This makes a lot of sense. At City Hall, Houston and Texas Central Partners announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which commits both sides to share environmental surveys, utility analysis and engineering related to the project and surrounding … Continue reading →

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Texas Central picks builders

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Backers of a Texas bullet train are moving to the next stop, selecting a team to build the Houston-to-Dallas line, despite not having a clear shot – yet – at construction. Texas Central on Monday morning … Continue reading →

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Texas Central survives the session

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It looked bad for awhile there. but in the end no significant bill that would have obstructed the high speed rail line was passed. In the recent Legislature, over 20 bills were filed that took aim at a high-speed rail … Continue reading →

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Where do we stand with the anti-Texas Central bills?

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’re in the House, and we’ll see what happens from there. The four bills before the House Transportation Committee represented some of opponents’ latest efforts to stop the project in its track. But project supporters and Texas Central Partners executives … Continue reading →

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A little skepticism about hyperloops

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Streetsblog isn’t having the hyperloop hype. There are no functional, real-world examples of a Hyperloop, Tesla founder Elon Musk’s long-distance transport concept that involves shooting people through vacuum-sealed tubes in pods that travel at up to 760 mph. Anyone who believes … Continue reading →

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A really dumb “Trump and the train” article

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas is closer than ever to building the first high-speed train in the United States, thanks to President Donald Trump’s fascination with these transportation projects and a well-timed pitch to his administration. Now developers nationwide are looking to the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Holly Reed of Texas Central Railway

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been following the ins and outs of Texas Central Railway and its efforts to build a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas since it was first proposed several years ago. Along the way, the proposal … Continue reading →

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The Trib and the DMN on the train

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Tribune and the Dallas Morning News are teaming up on a deep dive into the Texas Central Railway’s high-speed rail proposal. This story, the third in their set, explains where the money to build this thing may come … Continue reading →

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Here come the anti-Texas Central bills

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: [Tuesday], a group of key state lawmakers filed a slate of legislation to push back against Texas Central Railway’s controversial proposal to construct a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. Senators Birdwell (R-Granbury), Creighton (R-Conroe), Kolkhorst … Continue reading →

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Texas Central withdraws its land access lawsuits

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The private developer of a planned bullet train between Dallas and Houston has withdrawn more than a dozen lawsuits against Texas landowners that sought court orders allowing the company access to private property to survey land for the 240-mile … Continue reading →

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