Texas Democratic Party promotes high-speed rail construction between three major cities

Texas lawmakers want to develop high-speed rail along the state’s north-south highways, and Newsweek spoke to experts about it.

Democratic Rep. John Busey proposed a bill that would allow the Texas Department of Transportation to partner with private companies to build and maintain high-speed rail along Interstate 35, which connects Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. .

“Having high-speed rail connecting Texas’ major hubs of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio will be a great benefit for Texans, visitors, and It should be a great option for everyone as well.” Since January 2019, the number of MPs told KERA News.

There is reportedly no specific plan for a high-speed rail route through Texas, as Bucy’s bill focuses first on securing funding for the project.

Part of the bill calls for “the use of state funds for the construction of high-speed rail and certain high-speed rail lines operated by private companies” starting September 1, 2025.

Another bill proposed by Busey would require “the use of certain funds transferred and deposited in the State Highway Fund as required by the Texas Constitution,” but would not take effect two years later, in 2027. It will be September.

Busey told KERA that support has been pouring in since he introduced the two bills on Nov. 12.

“We’re getting a steady stream of calls from voters, county commissioners and elected officials who are excited about this idea,” the outlet reported.

Newsweek reached out to Busey for comment via email outside of normal business hours.

Randy Marshmale, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, discussed the benefits of high-speed rail, saying the project could give travelers the option of using air, automobile, and high-speed rail, and ultimately “It’s a potential time saver compared to the other two options,” he told Newsweek. ”

Considering the possibility of transferring passengers from airlines to high-speed rail, airlines have previously said that they are “against” proposals for such trains, saying that it could make the development of the project more complicated. Marshmel added.

Professor Chandra Bhatt, director of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National University Center, also told Newsweek that high-speed rail is “generally safer than highways” because it operates on dedicated computer-controlled guideways.

He added that this region of Texas has “substantial potential for high-speed rail users,” especially due to its high growth rate and the fact that the distance between Texas metropolitan areas is about 250 to 300 miles. Ta.

He said the distance was “ideal for high-speed rail travel given that it can be covered within an hour and a half by high-speed rail.”

Batt also said the project will create new jobs for Texans. He added that high-speed rail “requires regular maintenance, so the new employment boom is not temporary.”

But there is an “elephant in the room,” Burt said, referring to other new travel technologies and how competition between these new travel technologies could impact high-speed rail development. he added.

“Take the case of self-driving cars, sometimes referred to as self-driving cars or fully autonomous cars. These technologies are also on the verge of mass adoption, with many expected to be introduced within the next 10 years. ”.

This is not the first high-speed rail project being pursued in Texas, and Dallas City Council members recently traveled to Japan to learn from the country’s rail experts in hopes of building their own high-speed rail.

City Council members’ proposed high-speed rail route would run from Dallas to Houston.

A Newsweek poll conducted earlier this year found that Americans overwhelmingly support high-speed rail, but it remains a thorny issue for the Lone Star State.

People “think it’s too expensive. It’s a waste of taxpayer money,” Railroad Era editor in chief William C. Vantuono previously told Newsweek.

Kirby Ferrell, a policy analyst at the Eno Transportation Center and a native Texan, also noted that many Texans are reacting to high-speed rail out of concern that their land and property will be violated.

“Texas has a private property philosophy that protects your property, property that has been in your family for generations,” she said in a previous interview with Newsweek. “I think that’s fundamental. Texans protect their property.”

Updated November 21, 2024, 11am ET: This article has been updated with comments from Professors Chandra Bhat and Randy Machemehl.

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