OpenTheBooks— By Adam Andrezejewski

“A long-delayed and over-budget proposed high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth just received a new lifeline: $500,000 for a feasibility study from you, the American taxpayer, via the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Re-Route the Route, an advocacy group supportive of moving the rail alignment to a safer location, has opposed [the proposed plan].”

NewsBreak—By Ash Jurberg

California High-Speed Rail project spending increases from $9 billion to $128 billion, with no end in sight.

The Texan—By Kim Roberts

“Landowners who have been dealing with the proposed high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston say they are frustrated by the lack of information.”

KBTX 3—By Donnie Tuggle

“Two U.S. Congressmen from the Lone Star State, Rep. Michael McCaul and Rep. Jake Ellzey, have expressed their opposition to several grant applications submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration”

The Congressmen agree that “if approved, these applications will result in taxpayer money being used by a private company to take private land from landowners through eminent domain. Landowners deserve to have their land rights protected against the unrealistic and financially infeasible rail project proposed to be funded through these applications”

WFFA—By Matt Howerton

"‘For us farmers, it's just so much frustration and uncertainty," Carma Sullivan, a sixth-generation farmer, said. "We will pay the biggest cost for this project.’” Sullivan continued, “hundreds of families will be upended because of it [the project].”

The Houston Chronicle—By The Editorial Board

“With our tax dollars now in play, Texans deserve to know how costly and disruptive that construction will be… though, we hope Amtrak will succeed in getting a straight answer to a question Texans have been asking for years: is the Houston-Dallas bullet train even viable in the first place?”

The Texan—By Kim Roberts

“Email communications show that the partnership has been in the works for a while but was hidden from the public.”

When the proposed budget became more than private funding could handle, Texas Central Railway turned to federal funding for a bailout.

ABC27—By James Wesser

“Amtrak states that extreme heat can cause rails, bridges, and wires to expand and may sometimes cause trains to operate at lower speeds than under typical operating conditions. Speed restrictions are based on rail temperature and not ambient temperature.”

NBCDFW—By NBCDFW Staff

“Extreme heat is bad for tracks. As they heat up, tracks can expand, bend, flex, or buckle. Heat can also create issues with the train's overhead wiring.”

CNBC—By Diana Olick

“What this means for communities today is that their understanding of risk is often underestimated, and in many locations the infrastructure in place or that is currently being built to protect communities, property, and individuals is built to an insufficient standard. When the NOAA Atlas 14 estimates of the depths of precipitation corresponding to a 1-in-100 year event are examined, those events are estimated by the FSF-PM to occur in many locations much more frequently than previously estimated. In much of the Northeast, the Ohio River Basin, Northwestern California, the Texas Gulf Coast, and the Mountain West, the depths corresponding to a 1-in-100 year event (or 1% annual probability) are actually modeled to occur at least every 5 to 10 years (or up to a 20% annual probability).”

A new report from First Street Foundation, a nonprofit climate risk research and technology firm, explains the precipitation problem.

KBTX—By Donnie Tuggle

“Several bills aimed at protecting property rights across the state were left on the House floor this legislative session, leaving some property owners feeling overlooked… [Landowners’] main request was for companies to be more transparent about projects that impact communities.”

ZeroHedge—By Tyler Durden

“California's failing rail project is a metaphor for a state that has turned its back on the ordinary, hardworking people who live there…”

KBTX—By Donnie Tuggle

Attorneys representing several landowners and Texas Central Railroad are scheduled to meet on April 7th in a Dallas County courtroom to determine whether Texas Central is obligated to provide sworn answers about the project.

KBTX—By Donnie Tuggle

Opponents of the proposed 240-mile high-speed train that would connect Houston and Dallas and pass through Brazos Valley communities brought their fight to the Texas State Capitol.

KBTX—By Donnie Tuggle

A Harris County landowner recently filed a petition seeking a deposition to investigate potential claims against Texas Central Railroad.

The Texan—By Kim Roberts

A Harris County landowner along the proposed high-speed rail route is asking for an order to depose Texas Central about its plans.

KBTX—By Donnie Tuggle

It’s not hard to notice the condition of nearly a dozen homes and properties that Texas Central Railroad owns. Waller County Judge Trey Duhon says the condition has a negative impact on the community.

The Texas Tribune—By William Melhado

With lingering skepticism about Texas Central’s ability to build a high-speed rail line, landowners along the route want the company to be more forthcoming about the project’s status.

“These are our responses, Texas Central will continue its efforts to move forward with the project and make every effort to work responsibly and fairly with landowners as it does so.”

D Magazine—By Christine Allison

The Morney-Berry Farm has been in the same family since 1876. Descendants of the original owner have spent their lives protecting it. And now, a Texas Supreme Court ruling puts its future in jeopardy.

The Texan—By Kim Roberts

By a vote of 5-3, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Texas Central qualifies for eminent domain authority under Texas law as an interurban electric railway.

“We are wholly disappointed with today's ruling made by the Supreme Court of Texas that strips away the rights of private property owners in Texas.

Since the beginning, the proposed Texas high-speed rail project has been a failure, being promoted to the public as a private venture, yet seeking a $30 billion taxpayer funded federal bailout to salvage its insolvent proposal.

While we are deeply disappointed with the ruling, Re-Route the Route will continue to educate federal, state, and local officials on this project’s many failings, including private property violations, severe public hazards, adverse minority community impact, weakened flood control, significant environmental damage, financial mismanagement and more, all of which render it utterly ineligible for any taxpayer support.”

—Jennifer Stevens, spokeswoman for Re-Route the Route

The Houston Cronicle— By Dug Begley

Texas Central Railroad’s CEO stepped down, the company has no Board of Directors, and is behind on “at least $623,000 in property taxes.”

The Washington Times—By Randy Scofield

The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress and enacted by President Joe Biden in November 2021 offers our nation the opportunity to focus on meritorious projects that can and should be built. To do this right, and prevent wasting precious taxpayer dollars, it is important that federal, state and local government entities coordinate with key federal agencies such as the Department of Transportation, EPA, Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Railroad Administration to devise a uniform scoring system for all proposed infrastructure projects.

Petitioner James Frederick Miles asks the Court to disregard the post-submission letter filed on January 20,2022 by Respondents TCRI and ITL becuase it violates Texas rules and the Court’s procedures.

“Petitioner James Frederick Miles, the STPRA respectfully asks this Court to reverse and render judgment for the Petitioner in this case.”

“I am writing in my capacity as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas’ 6th Congressional District. I am also writing as a landowner and lifelong Texan. I support Petitioner Him Miles’ Motion for Rehearing and am asking the Court to grant Mr. Miles’ petition for review.”

“I am filing this letter in support of Petitioner Jim Miles. The TDA is a diversified state agency whose mission is to make Texas the nation’s leader in agriculture, protect consumers, fortify our economy, empower rural communities, promote healthy lifestyles, and cultivate winning strategies for rural, suburban and urban Texas. It is my responsibility to further these missions and to protect Texas’ $115 billion agriculture industry that touches the lives of every Texan every single day.”

“Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) submits this letter brief in support of Petitioner James Frederick Miles’ Motion for Rehearing on his Petition for Review…”

“As an elected member of the Texas legislative branch, I file this letter to express my interest in defending the property rights of Texas landowners and prevent any private entity not expressly authorized to exercise the extraordinary power of eminent domain from seizing their private property.”

“As duly elected members of the state legislature, we file this letter to express our interest in protecting all landowners in Texas from having their private property taken from them by any private entity not expressly authorized to exercise the extraordinary power of eminent domain.”

“The court should grant rehearing of Miles’s Petition for Review because the Court of Appeals improperly found Respindents to be a railroad company with eminent domain authority. Allowing a private, for-profit company eminent domain authority as a railroad without a showing by Respondents that they are actually operating a railroad encroaches on the property rights of Texas landowners, particularly those living in rural areas, guaranteed by the Texas Constitution.”

The Cato Institute—By Randal O’Toole

“If Congress decides to fund high‐​speed trains and promote compact development in other states, then the United States is likely to suffer some lost decades of its own.”