Texas bullet train proposed timeline in question

Officials with Texas Central, a company hoping to bring high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston, have had hopes since early in the planning process that construction could begin as early as 2016-a timeline that depended on factors outside of Texas Central’s control, including the environmental surveying process. Since a draft environmental statement was issued by the Federal Railroad Administration in December 2017, Texas Central officials have given 2019 as a target for when construction could begin, but outside factors could result in this timeline changing again. Opponents of the rail line question how the train will be funded and whether Texas Central will be able to acquire the land needed from private landowners along the proposed route. Before moving forward with construction, Texas Central will also need to obtain land along the rail’s proposed path. The process could entail the need to use eminent domain, but officials with Texas Central said they would only use that authority as a last resort and are hopeful they would not have to use it at all. -ABC13 Read more…