Tag Archives: high speed rail

Montgomery County hasn’t given up the fight against the high-speed rail line

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Keep hope alive, I guess. A newly formed regional planning commission will enable Montgomery County and the city of Magnolia to monitor and work against any high speed rail projects that may cut through western Montgomery County, said County Judge … Continue reading →

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More hyperloops

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be the future soon. Not content with simply sending men to Mars and conquering the automotive industry, billionaire Elon Musk has plans for a tubular transportation system that would dominate the globe. The Hyperloop has been considered closer to … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season gets underway

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your oratorical engines for these upcoming Mayoral candidate forums. The events, which will focus on arts and culture, economic development, and labor and community concerns, kick off a months-long cycle in which the candidates will appear before various … Continue reading →

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Still debating where to put the Houston high speed rail terminal

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

While people in the rural counties are trying to kill the proposed high speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, some other people here in Houston are thinking about where a station should be. [Lynn] Hardwin was among a few … Continue reading →

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Anti-high speed rail budget rider removed

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A proposed bullet train between Dallas and Houston has survived a budgeting measure that could’ve derailed the push in Texas to have the nation’s first high-speed rail line. Budget writers on Thursday removed a Senate-inserted rider in the spending … Continue reading →

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Bullet train budget rider battle continues

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The budget rider to derail the high speed train is still under contention as the conference committee completes its work. Tucked in Page 682 of the budget passed by the Senate in April is Rider 48, a provision that would … Continue reading →

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New rail lines set to officially open

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so ready. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, after numerous delays, will christen the Green and Purple lines Saturday with free rides and community celebrations, just in time for Memorial Day. The openings signify the end of a long, sometimes painful … Continue reading →

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Metro reaches detente with Culberson

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Holy cow! Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson have called a truce in their war over a planned light rail line on Richmond Avenue, suggesting an end to an impasse that has stymied local transit development. Culberson, a Republican from … Continue reading →

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One more shot at killing the high speed rail line

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Never forget that the tricksiest maneuvers in the legislative handbook come in the budget. Texas’ prospects of having the first high-speed train line in the nation hinge on two sentences in a proposed state budget that lawmakers in the House … Continue reading →

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Will the high speed rail opponents get a bill passed?

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Seems unlikely at this point, but I wouldn’t count them out. “The vast majority of the folks between Dallas and Houston are against it,” said Kyle Workman, president of the recently formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail. “They don’t want their … Continue reading →

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Profiling the high speed rail opponents

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

City Lab takes a look at the people who are resisting the proposed Texas Central Railway. Turns out you don’t need to rely on public money to be hated as a U.S. high-speed rail project. That much is becoming clear … Continue reading →

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High speed rail opponents go to Congress

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a press release from Texans Against High Speed Rail: Lawmakers in Austin who represent thousands of Texans along the proposed Dallas Houston high-speed rail project being promoted by Texas Central Railway (TCR) have officially requested opposition to the project … Continue reading →

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Senate bill to kill high speed rail advances

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t know there was one of these. The Senate Transportation Committee voted 5-4 to pass out Senate Bill 1601, from state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, which would strip firms developing high-speed rail projects from eminent domain authority. Texas Central High-Speed … Continue reading →

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Texas Central Railway to hold “informational” meetings

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this effort isn’t too little, too late for them. Backers of a high-speed rail line plan a series of meetings this month in rural areas where the proposed Houston-to-Dallas tracks could cross, setting up discussions with some of … Continue reading →

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Bill filed to kill high speed rail line

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Texas Central chooses a corridor

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Opposition to the high speed rail line gets organized

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You had to figure something like this was coming. I was recently informed of NoTexasCentral.com, and I’ll let them introduce themselves: Texas Central Railway (TCR), a Japanese funded Texas-based private railroad company, is set to build and operate a high … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Transportation

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Please note that I have called this part of my manifesto “Transportation” and not “Traffic”. I agree that traffic sucks and that the Mayoral candidates ought to have some ideas for how to deal with it. It’s my opinion … Continue reading →

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There’s more than one player in the Texas high speed rail game

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. A company that operates France’s national high-speed rail network is exploring possible involvement in Texas bullet trains. “We’re here to listen, learn and evaluate,” Alain Leray, president and chief executive of SNCF America Inc., said Monday during a visit … Continue reading →

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Hyperloops

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a hyperloop! Entrepreneur Elon Musk announced Thursday that he wants to build a “test track” for his idea for a futuristic high-speed transportation system called the Hyperloop, adding … Continue reading →

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How about high speed rail plus light rail?

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now here‘s an interesting idea. More than 200 people turned out Thursday to voice their concerns over the proposed track of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) train that would take travelers from Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes. “I think that … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County really wants an I-45 option for the high speed rail line

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not fooling around. Montgomery County commissioners have unanimously adopted a strongly worded resolution criticizing any effort to run a high-speed train between Houston and Dallas through the western side of the fast-growing county. Instead, commissioners believe the right track … Continue reading →

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More concerns about the high speed rail route

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some people who live not far from me are not very happy about the high speed rail line possibly running through their neighborhood. The prospect of a high-speed train crossing through First Ward into downtown Houston has residents scrambling to … Continue reading →

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Rural counties skeptical of high speed rail plan

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is a bit concerning. Steve Drake regularly makes the nearly four-hour drive from this city to Houston to visit his fiancée’s family. So he was excited about the news that a private company intended to build a bullet train … Continue reading →

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The Woodlands wants to be on the high speed rail route

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t blame ’em. The Woodlands Township is urging federal and state officials to take another look at the potential benefits of adding a high-speed rail corridor along Interstate 45. Last month, the Federal Railway Administration and the Texas Department of … Continue reading →

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Connecting the high-speed rail line to Fort Worth

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. State transportation officials this week are unveiling early plans for a high-speed train line from Dallas to Fort Worth. Like Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s plans to expand transit service in downtown, the project is an attempt to … Continue reading →

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Bringing the high speed rail line downtown

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Location, location, location

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

At the first public meeting about the proposed Dallas-Houston high speed railroad line, the main focus was the endpoints. More than 100 people were in attendance on Tuesday for the first of six public meetings being held jointly by the … Continue reading →

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Time to comment on the proposed high speed rail routes

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Check ’em out, and tell ’em what you think. Observers have long known that only a few options were available for the route of the privately funded high-speed train line between Houston and Dallas. Now a firmer picture of where … Continue reading →

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Public meetings coming for Texas Central Railway

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Financing the high speed rail line

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A long story in the Trib about Texas Central High-Speed Railway and its ambitious Dallas to Houston rail line. It’s a good primer if you haven’t been paying close attention to the story and want to cover all the basics. … Continue reading →

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Environmental impact studies can begin for Texas high speed rail

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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The Observer on the high-speed rail line

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some contemplation about the prospects for success of this unique project. Ross Capon, president of the National Association for Railroad Passengers, a national Washington D.C.-based non-profit promoting the development of rail, supports Texas Central Railways’ proposal but says it could … Continue reading →

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The Mayors opine for high speed rail

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They pen an editorial in its favor. We are proud to be mayors of three of the largest and fastest-growing cities in America. Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston have weathered the recent economic downturn and are now the engines powering … Continue reading →

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