Texas seeks $2 billion for bullet trains

[jtk1519]

Texas seeks $2 billion in federal funds for trains
2:05 PM Mon, Jul 13, 2009 | Permalink |
Michael Lindenberger/Reporter

http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/assets_c/2009/06/lib.JAPAN-TRAIN.C0312-thumb-200x135-39823-thumb-200x135-47408-thumb-200x135-47409-thumb-200x135-47411.jpg

It took longer than I expected, but the Texas Department of Transportation has shared its preliminary application for its share of the $8 billion and change the federal government is handing out for high-speed passenger rail projects.

Texas wants more than $1.9 billion of the money, and has submitted more than a dozen projects as part of its "pre-application" -- a required step that was due midnight Friday. Final requests, with update numbers, are due Aug. 24. (A press release with details of 18 projects for which Texas is seeking funds is available here: txdot preapplication 071309.pdf)

Texas is asking for $1.7 billion to speed development of a super-fast passenger train linking Dallas to Austin to San Antonio, and with a spur to Houston.

Federal guidelines for the funds make it unlikely that such a big amount will be awarded to Texas, given how little preliminary work -- such as environmental studies, feasibility reviews or right of way acquisition -- has been done on the bullet train proposal. Still, TxDOT spokeswoman Karen Amacker said today, "it never hurts to ask," and noted that the guidelines for the grants released in June are themselves in draft form.

If the rules for the money change, she said, Texas may have a better chance of scoring a grant large enough to make real progress on the Texas T-bone or similar high-speed rail concept.

If the big money proves unavailable, she said Texas hopes the feds will provide a smaller sum to advance the studies needed to be competitive for any future rounds of funding. (Here's more on the so-called Texas T-Bone plan, which forms the basis of the proposal included in the application.)

The pre-application included requests for more than a dozen projects, however, and most are small enough to stand a reasonable chance of being successful. Top priorities include $70 million to assist with the Tower 55 project in Fort Worth, a massive endeavor that seeks to eliminate freight rail snags that currently idle hundreds of freight cars each day as trains move through a congested tracks. (Map_Tower55.pdf.)

In addition, the state wants $43 million to double-track portions of the TRE commuter line, from Richland Hills to Hurst and from Rogers Road to W.C. Junction, a step that would allow Amtrak to use this route instead of the Union Pacific line. That could free up the UP line for future commuter rail options.

Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told my Washington colleague David Michaels, along with other reporters, that Texas was joined by 39 other states who want support for a total of 270 projects. LaHood said even states, like Texas, who have so far done little to advance high-speed passenger rail will be considered for the grants.

"We are going to consider proposals that are serious," LaHood said. "Even those that are not as far along as other regions will be considered." LaHood said preliminary applications would be useful for "giving some guidance" to states that are seeking funding for a corridor.

The funds are part of the stimulus package pushed through Congress by President Obama in the early weeks after his inauguration. Some House members have since called for tens of billions of additional money for high-speed rail. The Texas plan would send trains between its largest cities at speeds topping 200 miles per hour.


http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/07/texas-seeks-2-billion-in-feder.html

[llamaorama]

This could be incredible for my hometown of Bryan-College Station if the Brazos alignment is chosen for the Houston leg.

I've been contemplating how it would pass through my area. Maybe a good location for a joint Bryan-College Station rail stop would be off 47 near the new Health Science center. It's a rural area and this definetely counts as sprawl, but trying to ram it through town wouldn't make any sense

[electricron]

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't call Bryant and College Station rural at all. 200 mph trains, accelerating and deaccelerating at 2 mph/sec take 100 seconds to do so.
A train traveling 180 mph travels a mile in 20 seconds. At 120 mph, the train travels a mile in 30 seconds. At 60 mph, the train travels a mile in 60 seconds. It takes more than 3 miles to accelerate or deaccelerate from/to a full stop at 200 mph. That's 6 miles total near the train station where the train isn't traveling as fast as it can, and doesn't need to be located in a rural area.

[Jasonhouse]

Doesn't the r/w have to be fully isolated (like elevated, or fenced/barricaded away from peds and other vehicles), else the trains have to follow the same rules as any other train operating in an urban environment?

[twoNeurons]

I don't wanna sound like I'm stereotyping here... but in my mind, Texas always seemed like the kind of place that would only think of trains if there was an opportunity for free money on the table.

I know I'm probably mistaken, but when I think of Texas I think of cowboys, trucks, wide open spaces, fast freeways and people who love their cars... the opposite of a rail culture.

Can someone correct me on this view? Would Texas have even considered lobbying for more rail if there wasn't an $8Billion pot available?

I really don't know much about the state, so excuse me if I'm ignorant... I merely was surprised at the announcement.

[Scottolini]

You're mistaken.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Light_Rail

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Railway_Express

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_MetroRail

There are also several Amtrak routes in the state.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Routes_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922209&ssid=4

[ardecila]

I don't wanna sound like I'm stereotyping here... but in my mind, Texas always seemed like the kind of place that would only think of trains if there was an opportunity for free money on the table.

I know I'm probably mistaken, but when I think of Texas I think of cowboys, trucks, wide open spaces, fast freeways and people who love their cars... the opposite of a rail culture.

Can someone correct me on this view? Would Texas have even considered lobbying for more rail if there wasn't an $8Billion pot available?

I really don't know much about the state, so excuse me if I'm ignorant... I merely was surprised at the announcement.

Texas has odd politics. The best way to describe it, I think, is that it's such a huge state, with so many big cities, that it is impossible to ascribe a single set of values to most Texans.

On energy issues, for example - Texas is the home of Big Oil, yet support for wind, solar, and nuclear power in the state has never been higher, even in the business community. Presumably this is because oil has never really played a huge role in electric generation; power in Texas is largely generated by coal, which has to be carted in from other states. Using coal benefits very few people.

[VivaLFuego]

I don't wanna sound like I'm stereotyping here... but in my mind, Texas always seemed like the kind of place that would only think of trains if there was an opportunity for free money on the table.

I know I'm probably mistaken, but when I think of Texas I think of cowboys, trucks, wide open spaces, fast freeways and people who love their cars... the opposite of a rail culture.

Can someone correct me on this view? Would Texas have even considered lobbying for more rail if there wasn't an $8Billion pot available?

I really don't know much about the state, so excuse me if I'm ignorant... I merely was surprised at the announcement.

Moreso than culture, Texas's built density or lack thereof makes it a less stereotypical match for rail transit.

I imagine some interesting politics would get involved here. There is clearly very high trip density between some of the major Texas cities (e.g. Southwest flying every 30 minutes for most of the day between Dallas and Houston), meaning that a government subsidized high speed rail would (1) have some viability from a demand standpoint and (2) be in direct competition with one or more of Texas' major taxpaying businesses.

[Jasonhouse]

Texas has odd politics. The best way to describe it, I think, is that it's such a huge state, with so many big cities, that it is impossible to ascribe a single set of values to most Texans.

Sure it's possible... Texas is a democracy, is it not? They elect their leaders and thereby determine the laws, customs and traditions of their own society. It is easy to see what values a society has. Simply look at the way it governs itself.

This is why these days, people can say Florida is a state populated with blithering idiots, and I cant really disagree. Look at the morons we keep electing.

[Scottolini]

So 50.1% of the voters elect a blathering idiot, you believe that is telling of the whole society? Couldn't disagree more.

[Jasonhouse]

A society is an entity comprised of many disparate people, which can most certainly be defined on the whole, just the same as an individual's personality is the sum of many disparate behaviors and motives.

If you knew an individual who was cool to you 49% of the time, but he fought with you, lied to you and betrayed you the other 51% of the time, would you be more likely to describe him to people as a nice guy, or an asshole if given the choice?


If you want to qualify things and say that some individuals do one thing, and other individuals do another, that's fine and I totally agree, but then you are no longer talking about society in general, you are talking about individuals in particular. That's a distinctly different situation.

[JManc]

i disagree as well. it is not exactly like we have creme of the crop running for public office.

[urbanactivist]

Sure it's possible... Texas is a democracy, is it not? They elect their leaders and thereby determine the laws, customs and traditions of their own society. It is easy to see what values a society has. Simply look at the way it governs itself.

This is why these days, people can say Florida is a state populated with blithering idiots, and I cant really disagree. Look at the morons we keep electing.

Texas is a state... it is part of the United States of America.. It's a good ole plain-jane state just like anywhere else, and I hate it when people pretend like it's "another country".

I don't wanna sound like I'm stereotyping here... but in my mind, Texas always seemed like the kind of place that would only think of trains if there was an opportunity for free money on the table.

I know I'm probably mistaken, but when I think of Texas I think of cowboys, trucks, wide open spaces, fast freeways and people who love their cars... the opposite of a rail culture.

Can someone correct me on this view? Would Texas have even considered lobbying for more rail if there wasn't an $8Billion pot available?

I really don't know much about the state, so excuse me if I'm ignorant... I merely was surprised at the announcement.

I know we'll never be able to completely separate from this stereotype, but you gotta keep in mind that everyone in Texas doesn't live on some million-dollar cattle ranch. Most Texans live in one of 4 metropolitan areas... D/FW, Houston, San Antonio or Austin (nearly 16 million people out of a total of 24 million). LOL... I probably saw more cowboy hats at the Pride Parade than I have all year.

[jtk1519]

I don't wanna sound like I'm stereotyping here... but in my mind, Texas always seemed like the kind of place that would only think of trains if there was an opportunity for free money on the table.

I know I'm probably mistaken, but when I think of Texas I think of cowboys, trucks, wide open spaces, fast freeways and people who love their cars... the opposite of a rail culture.

Can someone correct me on this view? Would Texas have even considered lobbying for more rail if there wasn't an $8Billion pot available?

I really don't know much about the state, so excuse me if I'm ignorant... I merely was surprised at the announcement.

You are horribly mistaken, but don't sweat it. Most outside views of Texas are founded on seemingly unfathomable ignorance. High speed rail has been an idea for Texas long before anybody even knew who the Obamessiah was or before all this money magically became available.

Plans for high speed rail in Texas have gone back as far as '91 when franchises were awarded to the Texas TGV Corporation. The very controversial Trans-Texas Corridor, proposed at least as far back as '01, had a high speed rail and commuter rail component, and In '02 the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation was formed and has been backing the "Texas T-bone" alignment that would connect Dallas, Austin and San Antonio with a spur going from Austin to Houston. In '06, Fort Worth based American Airlines and Houston based Continental Airlines joined the THSRTC to try and bring high speed rail to Texas.

The issue for Texas is the same as it is for everywhere else in America... high speed rail is very expensive. So while Texas has had many plans for high speed rail, the issue has been looking for the right way to finance it. Now there is some federal money up for grabs. Outside of California though, no state has made greater strides to making true high speed rail a reality than Texas has.

And I have lived in Texas most of my life, a good part of that in "rugged" West Texas and I swear to you, God as my witness, the only cowboys I have ever seen where these kinds of hats...

http://www.dallas-cowboys-helmet.com/wp-content/uploads/cowboysauth(1).jpg

[jtk1519]

So 50.1% of the voters elect a blathering idiot, you believe that is telling of the whole society? Couldn't disagree more.

Less than that. Only 39% of Texans liked Perry enough in '06 to give him a vote. But anybody that knows Texas politics knows the Governor is not particularly powerful. The fact that the Texas delegate to the US House of Representatives is about a 60/40 split between the two parties and the fact that of the 181 elected members of the Texas State Legislature, 95 (or about 52%) are Republicans is more in line with the political leanings of this state and a true representation of the political diversity in Texas.

[bnk]

I thought Texas wants to SECEDE and not accept any federal monies from the Union via Rick Perry.

They should be asking Mexico for the money to create this welfare queen scheme instead of the rest of the tax paying Union.

[bobdreamz]

^ bnk that's what I thought also! Weren't they going to secede and the Governor was going to reject stimulus money? I hope Florida gets what it wants for its HSR first since the state is way further along than most in planning for it.

[TexasPlaya]

I thought Texas wants to SECEDE and not accept any federal monies from the Union via Rick Perry.

They should be asking Mexico for the money to create this welfare queen scheme instead of the rest of the tax paying Union.

^ bnk that's what I thought also! Weren't they going to secede and the Governor was going to reject stimulus money? I hope Florida gets what it wants for its HSR first since the state is way further along than most in planning for it.

No you were grossly informed by the media. The governor rejected some of the stimulus money and made a comment about Texas seceding in light of how the country was being governed by the Obama administration.

[Scottolini]

...

[bobdreamz]

^ sorry Scottolini but this has nothing to do with jealousy or the current state of affairs in our respective states. You have a Governor who made some incredible statements about accepting stimulus money & then makes bonehead remarks about seceding because of the Obama administration. This has nothing to do with hating on Texas.

[jtk1519]

I thought Texas wants to SECEDE and not accept any federal monies from the Union via Rick Perry.

That's what you get for thinking. Perry made a flippant comment that he was relentlessly blasted for by the Texas press and public. And the stimulus funds that most here wanted to reject were the ones with strings attached. Perry himself applied for and accepted stimulus funds for several projects including some $4 billion for education. Most of the state and it's cities welcomed the money that went towards much needed infrastructure improvements. What Perry rejected (and was later overruled) were parts of the stimulus package that would prove an extra burden on the taxpayers once the stimulus money ran out...

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday that he will block Texas from accepting $550 million for expanded unemployment benefits as part of the federal stimulus package.

"Again and again, we hear the purpose of the federal stimulus legislation is to create jobs but this portion will actually slow job creation," Perry said at a news conference in the middle of Bering's Hardware in Houston.

Framing his decision as a stand for state sovereignty, Perry said Washington politicians are trying to push their values on the Texas government.

"If Washington really wanted to help, wanted to respect our rights as a state, they would send money from the Federal Unemployment Account with no strings attached just like they did in 2002," Perry said.

Perry has signaled for weeks he was uncomfortable with taking parts of the stimulus money that would amount to increasing the state's social services net, which the state would have to continue funding once the stimulus money ran out.

Several state lawmakers have said they would arrange a vote to override Perry if he didn't accept all the stimulus money due Texas.

Yeah, that definitley sound like Texans wanted to reject the whole stimulus package to me. :rolleyes: