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Rail Passengers Urges Texas SC To Rule Quickly In Rail Case
June 15, 2022
Rail Passengers Association CEO Jim Mathews today urged the Texas Supreme Court to rule quickly and directly on legal challenges to Texas Central Railway's plans to link Dallas and Houston, saying that the Court's inexplicable delays in this case have imposed their own obstacles to the project's success.
For Immediate Release (22-08)
Contact: Madison Butler, [email protected]
Rail Passengers Association Urges Texas Supreme Court To Rule Quickly In Rail Case
WASHINGTON -- Rail Passengers Association CEO Jim Mathews today urged the Texas Supreme Court to rule quickly and directly on legal challenges to Texas Central Railway's plans to link Dallas and Houston, saying that the Court's inexplicable delays in this case have imposed their own obstacles to the project's success.
"Under pressure from ceaseless and, frankly, baseless challenges to Texas Central's status as a railroad, the Texas Supreme Court re-opened what should have been a settled case early this year, effectively blocking a vital and beneficial project from moving forward," Mathews said. "Grandstanding by NIMBYs spreading misinformation and baffling legal delays are combining to scare off investors, drain cash reserves, and strangle Texas Central before it can even start. Every day's delay hamstrings this project further."
Rail Passengers continues to be dismayed to see this fight drag on given the degree to which Texas Central is trying to appease a small group of landowners. Moreover, this fight risks billions of dollars of economic growth, tens of thousands of jobs, and the potential to stimulate new travel not just on Texas Central but even on our publicly funded Amtrak network. The use of an endless series of lawsuits to grind the approval process to a crawl is, ultimately, the same as giving veto power over all new development to anyone who can front the legal fees—and it’s why the U.S. isn’t able to build ambitious infrastructure anymore.
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About Rail Passengers Association
The Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization serving as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. Our mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity and regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers. All of this makes communities safer, more accessible and more productive, improving the lives of everyone who lives, works and plays in towns all across America.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Rail Passengers Association for my efforts to strengthen and expand America’s passenger rail. Golden spikes were once used by railroads to mark the completion of important rail projects, so I am truly grateful to receive the Golden Spike Award as a way to mark the end of a career that I’ve spent fighting to invest in our country’s rail system. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to bolster funding for Amtrak, increase and expand routes, look to the future by supporting high-speed projects, and improve safety, culminating in $66 billion in new funding in the Bipartisan infrastructure Law."
Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
March 30, 2022, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award for his years of dedication and commitment to passenger rail.
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