Conroe Lawmaker Wants to Kill Houston-Dallas Bullet Train, Even if It Doesn’t Touch His District or Public Money
“Imagine a train that could whisk you from here to Dallas in 90 minutes flat. Texas Central Railway, a private company working with a Japanese train manufacturer, wants to make that possible by 2021. A ticket to ride, the company says, would be “very competitive with those of airlines.” And, on top of that, the company promises the whole multi-billion dollar endeavor will be privately funded and ultimately operate as a private for-profit business without taxpayer subsidy.
So of course leaders in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth love the idea. “If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable, private alternative that will help alleviate traffic congestion and drastically reduce travel times,” Mayor Annise Parker said at a press conference touting the project last year.
And as you’d expect, the main opposition to the estimated $10 billion project has come from rural landowners along the proposed route. Well, landowners and Conroe state Rep. Will Metcalf, a Republican who wants to kill the thing, regardless of whether the train takes any public money or crosses his district, which spans the northern half of Montgomery County.”
Barajas, Michael. Houston News 26 February 2015.