Plan for bullet train still opposed

Congressman to hold meeting on Houston-to-Dallas rail proposal

Rural residents remain bitterly opposed to a proposed highspeed rail line from Houston to Dallas, an unchanged position the past five years that is expected to be on full display in Navasota next week.

Congressman Kevin Brady, a Republican from The Woodlands who has remained opposed to the bullet train, announced Thursday that he would hold a town hall meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Grimes County Expo Center. The meeting is in conjunction with Texans Against High-Speed Rail, the opposition group that has helped landowners fight property claims by the company planning the train.

The meeting precedes the expected release later this month of the Federal Railroad Administration’s proposed safety and environmental rules for the project.

Texas Central, a group of Texas-based investors, has since 2013 proposed a bullet train linking Houston and Dallas. The private company, which would seek international investment and possibly tap federally backed loans, plans to use Japanese Shinkansen trains along a sealed corridor, likely from south of downtown Dallas to near Loop 610 and U.S. 290, the current site of Northwest Mall.

In a statement, the company said it remains on pace to start five to six years of construction as soon as federal officials give it the go-ahead.

“The project continues to move forward with refining design, cost and timelines for full construction,” officials said.

Trips between the two metros would take about 90 minutes, with a stop in the Roans Prairie area of Grimes County, Texas Central officials have said. Supporters have said the rail line could relieve growing automobile and plane traffic between the two booming metro areas, create tens of thousands of jobs through construction and operations and avoid intruding in rural areas by running along berms and viaducts to allow country roads and pastures to remain accessible.

Brady and opponents vehemently disagree and have dogged the company at dozens of public meetings and in local courts, saying it would ruin pristine areas between the two cities and has strong-armed residents to gain access to property that opponents say it has no right to condemn.

“There is very strong opposition to this project,” Brady said during a call Thursday morning, announcing the Grimes County meeting. “The route harms the communities and the landowners. … We welcome infrastructure in Texas, but we want it to work with our communities.”

Brady, who represents a sprawling congressional district from the Houston suburbs to Centerville, said he soured on the project early when Texas Central opted for a more rural route as opposed to one closer to Interstate 45 through the countryside. He also said he felt the company backtracked on its earliest pledges of being privately funded by saying it would seek federal loans.

“Taxpayers now are on the hook if this project fails,” Brady said.

Texas Central has said since 2016 that it possibly would utilize federal loan programs such as the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program, used by the U.S. Transportation Department to partner with railroads for improvements.

The company said that despite the outcry it enjoys broad support, with more than 100 organizations and local groups “actively supporting” Texas Central.

“Texas has the capacity, drive and population growth needed to make this project successful, and it’s that momentum from across Texas and the country that’s pushing the Texas HighSpeed Train forward,” the company said.

Officials said they do not anticipate attending the Brady meeting.

“We have not been invited to participate,” Texas Central said in a response to questions.

Another point of contention between the company and critics is its authority to acquire property in court via eminent domain. State lawmakers and judges — mostly from the rural communities opposing the project — have barred the state from allowing or assisting in property acquisitions.

Unable to use state law to condemn property, the company reapplied to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board for approval under federal law as an interstate railroad. Though it will not operate track outside Texas, the company claims a role in interstate travel because it will have passthrough sales and agreements with Amtrak to connect riders with the national passenger rail network. Amtrak does not operate between Houston and Dallas, a gap the company says it can fill in a national network.

Brady called the claim preposterous, noting that the company attempted and lost federal approval four years ago prior to striking a deal with Amtrak.

“We fought them successfully in 2016,” he said. “We expect them to fail on these updates as well.”

Company officials said they intend to condemn property only as a last resort.

“We understand this is an important and personal issue, and it’s one we take very seriously,” the company said in a response to questions. “That’s why Texas Central works individually to collaborate with landowners to come to a fair agreement — and one that is above market value.”

“We welcome infrastructure in Texas, but we want it to work with our communities.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands