Stall: Monopoly will use public funds for the corridor while driving up the cost of transportation.
Trans-Texas railway from Dallas to Mexico ready for development
3/30/06
By Anna Ravensbergen
The Daily Texan
Copyright 2006
A 600-mile, high-speed freight rail track running from Dallas-Fort Worth to the Mexico border is ready for development. Cintra-Zachry, a Spanish-American partnership, has offered to spend more than $5 billion to build the track, said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson Wednesday.
This will be the most extensive addition to the Texas railway system since the early 1900s and should eliminate the need for about 2,500 trucks per day on Interstate Highway 35. Other benefits included a passenger line, safer transport of hazardous materials and improved air quality, according to a department press release.
"The transportation system in our state is in crisis, and we have a plan to solve that crisis," Williamson said.
The track is part of Gov. Rick Perry's 2002 Trans-Texas Corridor plan, a 4,000-mile transportation network that will cost an estimated $175 billion over 50 years. The project will incorporate existing and new highways, railways and utility right-of-ways, according to the plan's Web site.
According to Randall Dillard, spokesman for TxDOT, the Texas population will grow 64 percent during the next 25 years, so there needs to be a road alternative to I-35.
"We want to offer new ways of transportation," he said. "We are excited that a private-sector partner is onboard with us now."
David Stall, co-founder of the opposition group CorridorWatch, said he thinks the corridor is designed to generate revenue first and provide transportation second. He said he disagrees with the state's decision to hire a private company for the rail line's construction and is afraid of a monopoly that will use public funds for the corridor while driving up the cost of transportation.
Williamson said a passenger line can be affordable.
"Without a doubt, there will be a passenger line," he said. "You have to do it in conjunction with other assets."
Designers envision a corridor with a utility zone that will accommodate water, electricity, natural gas, petroleum and telecommunications lines, according to the plan's Web site.
While Stall said the possibility of a passenger line is an interesting element in the corridor plan, he added that since Texas is not a dense, urban district, the line is not appropriate.
It is not yet known on which specific route the railroad will be built. According to Williamson, the road will be built where it will impact community functions the lowest. Environmental issues will be studied around a 10-mile area for two or three years before construction can start.
© 2006 The Daily Texan www.dailytexanonline.com
3/30/06
By Anna Ravensbergen
The Daily Texan
Copyright 2006
A 600-mile, high-speed freight rail track running from Dallas-Fort Worth to the Mexico border is ready for development. Cintra-Zachry, a Spanish-American partnership, has offered to spend more than $5 billion to build the track, said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson Wednesday.
This will be the most extensive addition to the Texas railway system since the early 1900s and should eliminate the need for about 2,500 trucks per day on Interstate Highway 35. Other benefits included a passenger line, safer transport of hazardous materials and improved air quality, according to a department press release.
"The transportation system in our state is in crisis, and we have a plan to solve that crisis," Williamson said.
The track is part of Gov. Rick Perry's 2002 Trans-Texas Corridor plan, a 4,000-mile transportation network that will cost an estimated $175 billion over 50 years. The project will incorporate existing and new highways, railways and utility right-of-ways, according to the plan's Web site.
According to Randall Dillard, spokesman for TxDOT, the Texas population will grow 64 percent during the next 25 years, so there needs to be a road alternative to I-35.
"We want to offer new ways of transportation," he said. "We are excited that a private-sector partner is onboard with us now."
David Stall, co-founder of the opposition group CorridorWatch, said he thinks the corridor is designed to generate revenue first and provide transportation second. He said he disagrees with the state's decision to hire a private company for the rail line's construction and is afraid of a monopoly that will use public funds for the corridor while driving up the cost of transportation.
Williamson said a passenger line can be affordable.
"Without a doubt, there will be a passenger line," he said. "You have to do it in conjunction with other assets."
Designers envision a corridor with a utility zone that will accommodate water, electricity, natural gas, petroleum and telecommunications lines, according to the plan's Web site.
While Stall said the possibility of a passenger line is an interesting element in the corridor plan, he added that since Texas is not a dense, urban district, the line is not appropriate.
It is not yet known on which specific route the railroad will be built. According to Williamson, the road will be built where it will impact community functions the lowest. Environmental issues will be studied around a 10-mile area for two or three years before construction can start.
© 2006 The Daily Texan
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Thursday, March 30, 2006
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