Texas conventional and high-speed rail advocates rally for funding ahead of legislative session

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) -Rail advocates in Texas are ramping up efforts to secure funding for both high-speed and conventional rail projects as the next legislative session approaches in January. This week, the Rail Passenger Association and Texas Rail Advocates met for a National/Texas Passenger Rail Briefing online to emphasize the critical need for state investment in rail infrastructure.

Peter LeCody, President of Texas Rail Advocates, highlighted several key initiatives during the briefing, including ongoing corridor studies, TxDOT’s Rail Plan, and the collaborative efforts between Texas Central Railway (TCR) and Amtrak to explore high-speed rail connectivity between Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston. LeCody pointed out funding challenges faced during previous legislative sessions, noting missed opportunities due to political disputes.

“We had a rider placed in the 2023 legislative session asking for $200 million to populate the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund. Unfortunately, when the speaker of the house and the lieutenant governor got in a tiff, all of these budget riders for any funding out of the General Revenue Fund were tossed. So again, rail is taking a backseat and we missed out again on competitive funding on federal grants,” said LeCody.

LeCody also emphasized the importance of state participation in receiving federal funding that is available.

“This bill that is now law called the Infrastructure Law has a five-year span and there’s $66 billion available for rail funding. Unfortunately, Texas hasn’t gotten but just a tiny fraction of it because we don’t have a state fund to be able to go for like an 80-20 match, 80% federal to 20% state, just like we do for highways, we don’t have that for rail,” said LeCody.

“The only way we’re gonna be able to do any type of funding in the future for rail is if we have state participation in it, as other states do with the $66 billion that’s sitting now in the infrastructure bill. It’s very competitive. It’s oversubscribed. As a matter of fact, states have just been going at it tooth and nail and at Texas here, we just don’t have the ability to be able to access any of these funds to make rail improvements,” LeCody added.

Looking ahead, advocates are pushing for enhancements in commuter rail and expanded Amtrak services across Texas. LeCody emphasized potential benefits for the Brazos Valley, envisioning renewed passenger rail service linking Dallas and Houston with stops in Bryan-College Station and Navasota.

“The other thing is the conventional rail grants. It’s called a corridor identification program. And one of the corridor IDs would definitely benefit the Brazos Valley because it could reinstitute passenger rail service between Dallas and Houston with intermediate stops, Bryan College Station, Navasota, and possibly some other locations,” said LeCody.

Regarding the proposed high-speed rail connecting Houston to Dallas with a stop in the Brazos Valley, LeCody acknowledged recent challenges in Dallas but remained optimistic. Recently, the Dallas City Council moved to delay plans for a high-speed rail line connecting Dallas and Fort Worth, an extension of the proposed Amtrak line linking Dallas and Houston.

“I think it’s a temporary setback. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is going to get together with the Dallas City Council. The Council of Governments has already proposed some alternate routes that would not affect the western edge of downtown Dallas. Now realize that there are already trains running above ground. There’s both freight rail, there’s the Trinity Railway Express and there’s Amtrak and they’re above ground running through the western part of downtown Dallas right now. So, you know, it’s, it’s something they’ve gotta work out,” said LeCody.

Before advancing with these plans, Dallas City Council members unanimously endorsed a resolution requiring an economic impact study to precede further action. Despite those challenges, LeCody reiterated the pivotal role of railways in Texas and is encouraging advocates to act with a sense of urgency when it comes to rail and not wait until January to have conversations with lawmakers.

“I think the economic future of Texas really is gonna depend upon a safe and reliable and diverse transportation network. Not only of roads, but also airports, waterways, and railways. Railways can be a very important contributor to both moving people and goods. And we really need to be more proactive on that in Texas,” said LeCody.

“We are energizing our elected and appointed officials right now. It’s a program we started a couple of years ago called Fair Share for Rail. You know, we fund maritime, we fund highways, we fund aviation at the state level, but we don’t have a funding mechanism for rail. Well, actually no, that’s wrong. We do have the funding mechanism. It’s called the Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund. Voters approved it in 2006. However, the legislature hasn’t put the first dollar into it yet,” added LeCody.