In a post to Lone Star Legislature, named Texas Triangle Train System, the author stated his desire to implement a railway system between Texas’ three largest cities: Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Along with the convenience of public rail, the author also stated that the system would benefit smaller cities in between the three major hubs.
Two funding solutions were proposed by the author: the Texas Legislature passing a bill to fund the project with federal aid and subsidies to alleviate the costs OR private companies funding the project with the help from investors.
Opposition would lie within “the Texas landowners, small local communities, and airline systems.” Individual ridership will be low, but overall ridership should generate a high amount of revenue.
Personally, I favor public transportation and see this as a very viable project for Texas. I am a student in Austin originally from Dallas, so I do go home a handful of times over the course of several months and constantly see congestion, never-ending construction and just need for convenience.
As the author mentioned, the most populated highways in Texas are I-10, I-45, and I-35. A short trip up I-35 proves this to be true. Even outside of Austin, you hit major traffic areas in the smaller cities such as Waco and Temple. In a few short (long) years, construction on these highways will be done, with additional lanes to reduce congestion. Yes, this will relieve congestion, but for how long? As we all know, Texas’ population is growing tremendously, highways will continue to congest as more and more cars hit the road. Then what? More construction to add more lanes? Seems like a never-ending cycle. Adding a rail system would reduce traffic by taking cars off the road. The quick, convenient train ride seems like a much better option for commuters like me.
But funding!! Ah yes, where will the money come from? I agree with the author about the two possible solutions. The project will be an investment for whoever wants to tackle it, but I believe the money generated will be sufficient to overcome the preliminary costs. Texas, being the state it is, is filled with private companies that I’m sure are eyeing at a venture like this.
As for the resistance against such a project, I’m sure the benefits will outweigh any hinderance caused by the project. The influx of business this could potentially bring is opportune to small communities. For land owners, they will surely be compensated for their land. For airlines, this may not benefit them, but for us, the more competition there is, the better, right?
There’s already talk of building a high-speed rail system between Dallas and Houston, so a project like this should be attainable. With a project this massive in Texas, the costs are undoubtedly going to be high, but the potential of a connected Texas far exceeds any costs.
