Texas Bullet Train Faces Even More Opposition

The Federal Rail Road Administration's (FRA) goodwill tour of counties along the proposed Texas Bullet Train route made its final two stops Tuesday night. And the residents there to greet them weren't there to tell them how much they like the proposed train.

FRA concluded its series of 10 public hearings Tuesday night in Waller and Navasota. And like all other rural counties along the route between Houston and Dallas, the reception wasn't all that warm.

More than 300 Grimes County residents jammed the Navasota Junior High cafeteria to express their concerns about the rail, which will slice through the entirety of the oblong county and house the rail's only stop along the route — a proposed station in Roans Prairie.

Former Grimes County Judge Ben Leman, who's chairman of Texans Against High-Speed Rail and candidate for District 13 of the Texas State House, led the group and was the first to voice against the project.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired of seeing private companies game the system over and over again by setting up a business plan where the private company uses eminent domain to place the taxpayers on the hook for a project that makes absolutely no financial sense," Leman said. "When are we going to stop this?"

Leman was a vocal leader in the Brazos Valley and all along the rail's "utility corridor" against the project, and he says representatives from Texas Central, the rail developer, has "bullied their ways up and down this corridor" to intimidate landowners into signing contracts and threaten lawsuits to claim eminent domain authority.

According to a report in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, half of the parcels along the proposed route through Grimes County are already under agreement. Texas Central said the it has utilized a "personalized approach" that seems to be working in such land agreements.

"We hope to never have to go to court, but we're confident that if we have to do that, that we will prevail," said Holly Reed, managing director of external affairs for Texas Central.

Current Grimes County Judge Joe Fauth, who's also a rancher, said that even if the train doesn't go through a resident's land, "it will eventually go through your pocket book." That was similar to Waller County Judge Trey Duhon said at a Monday meeting in Cypress.

"I don't know if it will matter what we say tonight, but I know this project is a long way from becoming a reality, and we still have a lot to say about it," Duhon said.

Texas Central, an investor-owned project, said Monday it will not take federal or state grants for construction or operations. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the privately-funded project will not cost the taxpayers, but rather the city will benefit from the sales tax — projected at $12 million a year.

Houston, Dallas moving forward

The City of Houston, along with Texas Central and board members for the project, held a large press conference Monday producing images and videos of the proposed Houston rail station at the old Northwest Mall.

They claimed the city will see about $12 million in sales taxes every year and the high-speed rail station will be the regional transportation hub. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the project will create more than 10,000 jobs during construction phases and 1,500 permanent jobs once it's complete. Turner added that he expects construction to begin in 2019 and be completed "before our next Super Bowl." Houston hasn't been awarded any future Super Bowls, and it could be 10 more years before it gets another as the city hosted Super Bowl LI in 2017.

"Houston continues to grow. Growing the smart way includes providing a wider choice of transportation options beyond more private vehicles and more roads," Turner said Monday. "The Texas Bullet Train fits the transportation paradigm shift I have called for. And now with a preferred location for the Houston station, we are one big step closer to boarding for an exciting trip to the Brazos Valley and on to Dallas."

(Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)