Since the concept of All Aboard Florida was announced by Fortress and the FEC, there have been many attempts to copy their business model. All of them are stalled for the most part, except Texas.
Unfortunately they ran into a little snag this past week, which happens when you don't own your ROW.
While AAF didn't want STB oversight, TCR actually did want it.
Per Trains NewsWire:
Ruling by STB strikes blow to Texas high speed rail project
A July 18 ruling handed down by the Surface Transportation Board has determined that the agency has no jurisdiction to regulate construction on the high speed rail line proposed to link Dallas and Houston.
The ruling is a boon for opponents of the project, who have voiced concerns about potential use of eminent domain to acquire the line's right-of-way.
In April, Texas Central Partners, the corporation behind the privately funded Texas Central Railway, asked the STB for a Petition of Exemption and Petition for Clarification, to determine whether the project would require STB approval before the administrative phase of eminent domain proceedings would begin.
In response, the STB ruled it has no authority over the project, since neither the Houston station nor any of the locations proposed for the station's endpoint in Dallas will connect to interstate Amtrak routes when TCR projects it will begin operations in 2021.
"Texas Central's decision to seek clarification regarding the STB's role followed precedent set by other rail projects. Without such clarification, regulatory uncertainty could have impacted Texas Central's project timelines." says Mark Edgar, a spokesperson for Texas Central Partners. "However, Texas Central will study the STB decision before making any determination regarding actions in response to the ruling. The project continues to move forward with development activities."
Opponents, who cited the petitions to the STB as evidence that the TCR intends to invoke powers of eminent domain to seize property from landowners, hailed the decision.
"This is a huge victory for private property rights in Texas and Texans Against High Speed Rail," says Kyle Workman, president of the opponents' group. "This was clearly a state issue. Everyone knew it was an intrastate line, and now we have confirmation. From our point of view, the best place for the citizens of Texas to be heard is the state capitol."
High speed rail opponents have solid support among the state and federal legislators representing cities and rural districts along the proposed route. Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican representing Texas' 8th district in Washington, filed several letters to the STB urging it to decline the Texas Central request.
"This is the first victory in a long battle to ensure that Texas, not Washington, decides the fate of a project hurting our rural communities and landowners," Rep. Brady said in a statement posted to his web site last week, " I truly appreciate the efforts of our state and local officials and Texans Against High-Speed Rail who are working so diligently to protect Texans' property rights."
Oversight of the Texas Central will now revert to the state level, unless the construction plans are altered to create a more direct connection to existing Amtrak routes. Initial construction is pending the completion of an environmental impact study.
Texas Central is trying to jump right into the frying pan! I have to see the alignment of the planned high speed rail. I believe that the last time high speed rail was attempted in Texas, Southwest Airlines shut that down. They said that this thing was going to be up by 2021? I would like to see that.
All about tourists. Orlando is the most visited place on earth and Miami is top 5 most visited place in the USA. That is what is driving it here in FL.