Carlos Aguilar steps down as CEO of Texas Central Railway

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Carlos Aguilar, president and CEO of Texas Central, announced his departure from the company on the Social Media Platform LinkedIn Saturday.

Texas Central is working to build a high speed train between Houston and Dallas The project, which was announced in 2014, was set to begin construction in 2021.But, they’ve faced several challenges this year as they work to build the railway with multiple stops through the Brazos Valley.

The Supreme Court of Texas is working to decide whether the builder of a proposed 240-mile high-speed rail has the power to take land through eminent domain.

A court filing in the case James Frederick Miles v. Texas Central Railroad & Infrastructure, Inc. and Integrated Texas Logistics Inc. shed some light on how the proposed railroad may be struggling.

According to documents filed with the Supreme Court of Texas in May, attorneys representing Dallas, Ellis, Navarro, Freestone, Limestone, Leon, Madison, Grimes, Waller, and Harris Counties say the railway owes $622,978 in taxes.

Waller County Judge, Trey Duhon, said with the lack of staff, leadership and resources he was expecting the company to fail.

“The people should be happy,” Duhon said. “So many individuals have struggled with their property taxes because of Texas Central. Growing transportation is great for cities in Texas, but we need to do that the right way.”

Aguilar did not go into great detail behind the reason for his departure but said more details would be coming soon.

Aguilar’s full statement is below.

Given news reports in the international press today, I am announcing my departure from Texas Central.
I am immensely proud of the achievements of OUR team, gaining among many other achievements, end to end regulatory approvals for the first true high-speed rail project in our nation’s history. This was a most conscientious and complex endeavor, carefully addressing concerns from land owners, stakeholders, and providing opportunities to all sectors of our society, a true FIRST for US Infrastructure.
The Texas Central staff grew from a small start-up to an expert interdisciplinary and integrated team that became a true leader in this sector worldwide, attracting the best of the best talent from Texas, the US, and, the World, to execute this project properly.
Most of the “graduates” of our effort will continue to contribute to our economy through their roles at other companies. Eventually, this team could implement this desperately-needed project to improve safety, reduce traffic, reduce greenhouse emissions, and connect two of the most important metro centers in the country with the most advanced train service available. I will never forget your ethics, talent, dedication, and sheer resilience through it all!
I am also very proud of the convening power that we were able to garner, attracting the best companies in the high speed rail industry worldwide to compete for key roles on this marquee project, ensuring that the design basis, costing, and business and operating plans were second to none.
While I could not align our current stakeholders on a common vision for a path forward, I wish the project the greatest success and remain convinced of the importance of this venture for the safety and prosperity of ALL Texans.
I will be announcing next steps soon, but wanted to take the time to thank not only our shareholders and my dedicated team at Texas Central, but also all the tireless advocates for the project: Mayor Sylvester Turner, Mayor Eric Johnson, Mayor Karl Mooney, US Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, US Congresswoman Kay Granger, US Congressman Colin Allred, US Congressman Seth Moulton, Texas State Senator Royce West, Texas State Representative Yvonne Davis, NCTCOG Transportation Director, Michael Morris, GHP CEO Bob Harvey, Chambers of Commerce, and so many other leaders from the Political and Business sectors in Texas and beyond.
Texas and the US deserve the best transportation options, and I am convinced that in time, these will become a reality.
We must always remember that when the US focuses on achieving goals, nobody in the world can match our ability to deliver. That is how the Second World War, -the War to save democracy- was won, how our Apollo program got our astronauts to the moon and back, and how we still lead technological innovation worldwide.
We can do this. VALE
Carlos Aguilar VIA LinkedIn