Rural critics band together to stop Texas bullet train
The president of the recently formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail is leading a coalition of critics backing several bills that could kill, or at least hobble the Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail system.

Japan's bullet train. Photo: RachelH/Flickr

Japan's bullet train. Photo: RachelH/Flickr
Texas — Rural critics of Texas Centrail Railway's $12 billion bullet train have banded together, pooling resources, hiring lobbyists and trying to build alliances with enough urban lawmakers to kill the project, reported The Texas Tribune.
The proposed privately funded bullet train would travel a 240-mile route between the Dallas and Houston in less than 90 minutes.
RELATED:Texas group recommends high-speed rail corridor
“The vast majority of the folks between Dallas and Houston are against it,” said Kyle Workman, president of the recently formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail. “They don’t want their land to be taken. They don’t want a train going through their quiet country landscape,” the report said.
Workman is helping lead a coalition of high-speed rail critics backing several bills this session that could kill, or at least hobble the ambitious project, which Texas Central hopes to have up and running starting in 2021.
For the full story, click here.
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