A proposed high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston seems less likely to happen due to February’s statewide power outages.
Even before the winter storms and the failure of the state's power grid, Texas Central Railroad, which is proposing the high-speed train, was facing an uphill battle. The Texas Supreme Court has yet to rule over whether the group has eminent domain, which they need so they can build the line between the state's largest metro areas.
“It’s just something that’s going to drain an enormous amount of power from the grid in order to be operational. We don’t want to see more homes and lives be put at risk, increased frequency or duration of brown outs and black outs, in order to run a train,” Kyle Workman, the president of the group Texans Against High-Speed Rail, said.
Workman believes after last month’s winter storms, our state officials should focus on fixing our energy problems first.
Texas Central will also need to get approval through the Surface Transportation Board, an independent federal agency. KTRH’s calls seeking comment from Texas Central were not returned Tuesday.