Houston-to-Dallas bullet train given green light from feds, company says

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle by  Dug Begley Sep. 21, 2020

Federal officials have issued final approvals to backers of a Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail line, further clearing the way for construction of the proposed line, in a move all but certain to face ongoing challenges from opponents.

Texas Central Railroad, the company planning to operate trains from Houston to Dallas with a stop near College Station, said early Monday that the Federal Railroad Administration had issued both the Record of Decision that ends the environmental analysis and the Rule of Particular Applicability that governs the safety standards the Japanese-developed trains must use.

“This is the moment we have been working towards,” said Carlos Aguilar, CEO of Texas Central Railroad.

Railroad administration officials submitted the final rules Sept. 11 and made them publicly available Monday.

Company officials — who less than a decade ago expected construction to cost $10 billion, now say building it will cost “around $20 billion,” with construction possibly starting in the first half of next year.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/houston-dallas-bullet-train-federal-approval-texas-15582761.php

[Wingnut]

I heard they are gonna call it:  MIRTT


Moving Illegal's Rapidly thru Texas.

[dfwgator]

Many estimate by 2040,  Houston and Dallas will comprise the 3rd and 4th largest metro areas in the US,  combined, they will rival NYC.

[Idiot]

Dallas Area Rapid Transit=DART

Fort Worth Area Rapid Transit=FART

 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

A boondoggle to beat all boondoggles.

How many thousands of acres will be taken from landowners along the way to satisfy a few liberal idiots who don't want to drive like the rest of us?

Every single acre of land will be taken out of the property tax rolls, making Texans owning properties in affected counties pay higher taxes.  Property taxes is the largest source of income to local government. That is besides the higher state taxes we must pay because less gasoline tax is used.

I wonder if that is included in any of the justifications here?

Oh, I forgot, there is NO economic justification for this episode in idiocy.

[thackney]

...Every single acre of land will be taken out of the property tax rolls...

False

https://www.google.com/search?q=railroads+pay+property+taxes&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS831US832&oq=railroads+pay+property+taxes&aqs=chrome..69i57j35i39l2j46l2j0j69i61j69i65.9024j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[IsailedawayfromFR]

False

https://www.google.com/search?q=railroads+pay+property+taxes&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS831US832&oq=railroads+pay+property+taxes&aqs=chrome..69i57j35i39l2j46l2j0j69i61j69i65.9024j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Good catch, as I had assumed it was publicly owned and not subject to taxation. 

That aside, do you believe property values and attendant tax revenue along this monstrosity will increase or decrease once it is in operation?  I wonder how the per acre valuation will be for those pieces of land that will be divided into two or more sections of land?

BTW, great to see you back @thackney .

I assume you have been buttressing your home for the current storm in your neck of the woods.  Are you safe?

[Hoodat]

Why would anybody in Dallas want to go to Houston?  And why would anybody in Houston want to go to Dallas?

[dfwgator]

Why would anybody in Dallas want to go to Houston?  And why would anybody in Houston want to go to Dallas?

It's going to be about the cities in between the two,  that corridor is going to grow by leaps and bounds.

[thackney]

It's going to be about the cities in between the two,  that corridor is going to grow by leaps and bounds.

With only one stop in between (between Huntsville and College Station) I do not think there will be much growth around the corridor.  There will be a few maintenance jobs but not much else creating growth.

https://www.texascentral.com/facts/
(where will the stations be)

[IsailedawayfromFR]

It's going to be about the cities in between the two,  that corridor is going to grow by leaps and bounds.

?

Why would you believe between the two cities will grow with a rail that passes by when they do not grow much with an interstate highway that exists where people can easily pull off the road?

Can you point out somewhere that has happened elsewhere?

[thackney]

Good catch, as I had assumed it was publicly owned and not subject to taxation. 

That aside, do you believe property values and attendant tax revenue along this monstrosity will increase or decrease once it is in operation?  I wonder how the per acre valuation will be for those pieces of land that will be divided into two or more sections of land?

Since the majority of this property is Ag exempt land and the railroad property will not have that exemption, the total taxes will likely go up.  There have been many lawsuits showing taxing authorities often greatly overvalue the rail property to collect more tax revenue.  Plus the rolling stock become taxable to the state.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Since the majority of this property is Ag exempt land and the railroad property will not have that exemption, the total taxes will likely go up.  There have been many lawsuits showing taxing authorities often greatly overvalue the rail property to collect more tax revenue.  Plus the rolling stock become taxable to the state.

The fallacy there is that the Ag exemption reduces tax revenue across the board.  Instead, it is present in order to increase Ag income upon which jobs are created and produce and timber are realized.

I believe it a stretch to say that a rail line with dubious income generated will pay as much in taxes, even if property taxes increase, as the individual and commercial businesses it displaces will.

And we really don't know whether the state will permit property tax relief for a flailing enterprise like this rail line anyway. It is already permitting a private company to use the powerful eminent domain provision to take over private lands, and it ED rarely pays the going rate of property values, as I personally can attest to when it was used on my own land.

[PeteS in CA]

With only one stop in between (between Huntsville and College Station) I do not think there will be much growth around the corridor.  There will be a few maintenance jobs but not much else creating growth.

https://www.texascentral.com/facts/
(where will the stations be)

One of the idiocies of CA's Bullet Boondoggle is that it will make multiple stops as it travels north through the Central Valley, basically eliminating much/most of the increased speed. Taking a new path that crosses multiple earthquake faults is a couple more idiocies.

[berdie]

It seems an odd expense to me. Since they raised the speed limit on I45...one can be in Houston in no time. Of course if there is a wreck you are in deep doo-doo. But I'll make a jump and say there will be delays on this train system. My brother and I call the area between Ennis and Houston the Forbidden Zone...it looks just like Planet Of The Apes. And I am fairly certain there are really no towns on the sparse exits. j/k

[GrouchoTex]

Why would anybody in Dallas want to go to Houston?  And why would anybody in Houston want to go to Dallas?

I hadn't figured that part out, either.

[dfwgator]

It seems an odd expense to me. Since they raised the speed limit on I45...one can be in Houston in no time. Of course if there is a wreck you are in deep doo-doo. But I'll make a jump and say there will be delays on this train system. My brother and I call the area between Ennis and Houston the Forbidden Zone...it looks just like Planet Of The Apes. And I am fairly certain there are really no towns on the sparse exits. j/k

This is a study they used to justify it.

http://www.texascentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Ridership-Brochure.pdf

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The thing that should stop dead this idiocy in its tracks is the likely hesitance of people

1. to locate or to stay in major cities due to Covid and rioting

2. to take mass transit in any form

Signs already out there see reduced demand for city services and businesses in favor of suburbs and smaller towns, as well as lower usage of travel using buses, trains or planes.

The state should demand a new study faced with a dwindling potential for usage and changed demographics of these two large urban areas.