Something about Texas politics makes me suspicious. It could be that these guys are all on the level, maybe not. You can expect a bloodbath of legislative favor swapping as this oves forward. It is ironic because, from the pure transportation marketing standpoing, Houston and Dallas are natural close pairs for real HSR service up to European standards. Then, will Southwest go along with it?
I think they should let Southwest run it.
Anyway, the Conroe paper filed this report.
Support for a high-speed train connecting the state’s major metropolitan areas is swiftly gaining momentum in Montgomery County.
County Judge Alan B. Sadler recently joined a consortium of like-minded leaders who want to see the dream of bringing the nation’s first magnetic levitation “maglev” rail to Texas. The Texas High Speed Rail & Transportation Corp., a nonprofit group that aims to study magnetic levitation rail as a new form of public transportation, has grown in membership in recent months from several public officials to more than 60.
Although it hasn’t received formal legislative support, lawmakers from around the state and nation are lining up, including U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, both Republicans from Texas, and U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands.
The rail would get passengers from Houston to Dallas in 50 minutes and cost about $100 per trip, Sadler said.
“It would change the way we live in Montgomery County,” he said. “Anytime you can get to downtown Houston in 20 minutes, it will change the demographics.”
Sadler said if the project becomes a reality, the first stop on the railway between Houston and Dallas would be Conroe, bolstering the area’s economic clout.
Filed under: United States High Speed Rail
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