Railroad Forums 

  • High Speed Rail HSR (Houston - DFW Dallas Fort Worth) (FKA Texas Central )

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1599776  by scratchyX1
 
Different operation. There was both Boring Company (which seemed to want build under the BW parkway either Magnetic sleds carrying AVs, or AVs themselves)
and BW maglev, that seems to want to use the old Wb and A interurban charter and ROW, for Maglev , underground,
which has JPN money behind it.
 #1599782  by Pensyfan19
 
Despite the resignation of their CEO, there are supposedly still plans for Texas Central to break ground sometime soon.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas ... l/2992264/
Texas Central Railway CEO Carlos Aguilar announced that he will be stepping away from the company seeking to build a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston.

The announcement was made on Saturday via Aguilar's LinkedIn page. Texas Central Railway, founded in 2013, has promised to build a multi-billion dollar speed railway, similar to the one in Japan, between Dallas and Houston.

The announcement comes amidst a rocky first half of 2022. In January, the company was involved in a Texas Supreme Court case in which a landowner challenged the company's eminent domain authority and sought a clear definition that Texas Central is a "railroad company." Ultimately, the court concluded that the company is "operating a railroad" and is thus a "railroad company."

Most recently in April, it was reported that the company was behind on its property taxes.
 #1599821  by scratchyX1
 
Jadebenn wrote: Wed Jun 15, 2022 5:22 pm I find it doubtful. Often, companies like this will insist they're still solvent until the very last moment.

I think the best-case realistic outcome at this point is an XpressWest situation.
Sadly, it's reminding me of a zombie passenger company that has Boston in its name, despite not being in it's service area.
 #1600515  by west point
 
I have to wonder if Texas Central thought it was going to loose the court case. I really thought they would loose especially after talking with some of my Texas college friends.

How are they are going to need to get financing?. With the FED raisiing interet rates TC might only be able to get short term easy money or money subject to esculator clauses.
 #1600541  by Jadebenn
 
Optimistically, if they're not looking to sell, they might be in a "holding pattern" situation: Reduce the footprint to the minimum possible and wait until conditions improve. There is political risk to this strategy, though. The opponents - having lost in court - are likely to redouble their efforts in the legislature.

I thought they were going to lose the case too, so this was a pleasant surprise.
 #1600641  by electricron
 
While there is a chance Courts may have surprising rulings on political issues, that rarely happens on legal issues. I always thought the trains would win the case based on legal issues.
The clause causing so much trouble was being misread by the lawyers opposing the train, using the date in the clause as a drop dead date vs its real purpose, being a grandfather date.
The Appeals and Supreme Court of Texas have ruled correctly per the legal issues.

Whether or not Texas Central can raise the $20 Billion to build and operate HSR remains unknown.
 #1620511  by Jeff Smith
 
The article is dated, but still not much if any progress: https://www.thebatt.com/news/texas-cent ... 0aa75.html
Texas Central railway: high-speed, slow progress

Announced in 2012, private railroad company Texas Central proposed its idea for a self-described “Texas high-speed train” that will be the “first truly high-speed train project” in the U.S. and Texas, according to its website. However, the now decade-old project has shown nothing but slow progress.

The alluring proposal for the infrastructure project claims its 240-mile-long track will connect Texas through three passenger stations in North Texas, Brazos Valley and greater Houston within a 90-minute high-speed train ride. According to the project timeline, Texas Central estimates the project to be completed by 2026, when the railway will be fully operational for commercial use.

Texas Central estimates the project to cost $20 billion to complete. However, they expect the project to have a direct cumulative economic impact of $36 billion over the next 25 years. Texas Central also estimates that construction will create 17,000 jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs once the railway is operational.
...
 #1621622  by Jeff Smith
 
Brightline could certainly get this done quicker and cheaper. Texas Central's big mistake was using private land. Brightline would have had a deal on interstate ROW by now. Right now, though, they've got enough to chew on with Las Vegas.

They're also taking heat in Austin: https://www.kbtx.com/2023/05/05/texas-c ... utType=amp
Texas Central CEO, property owners testify before House Transportation Committee

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) -On Wednesday, opponents of the proposed 240-mile high-speed train connecting Houston and Dallas and passing through Brazos Valley communities continued to voice their concerns at the Texas State Capitol.

During the hearing before the House Transportation Committee, landowners and Texas Central officials testified about the impact of the proposed high-speed train project.

Elected officials and landowners along the proposed train route have been demanding more transparency and accountability from the company, which they claim has left them uninformed about the project’s status for more than ten years.
...
  • 1
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21