Can Amtrak Finally Bring High-Speed Rail To Texas?

After decades of research, the U.S. remains without authentic high-speed rail options. Federal planners believe that a route connecting major cities in Texas may be an ideal fit.
In 2014, a group organized under the name Texas Central announced plans to connect Dallas to Houston with a bullet train that travels more than 200 miles per hour, shortening a three and a half hour drive to a 90-minute train ride. The route would connect two large and fast-growing population centers, making one stop near local universities in the Brazos Valley.
The Texas Central project has been repeatedly delayed as its backers navigate various regulatory hurdles, including environmental reviews and disputes over property rights. The leadership team at Texas Central resigned in the middle of land acquisition for the process. Texas Central declined multiple requests for comment from CNBC.
The project is expected to cost at least $33.6 billion dollars, according to a March 2023 analysis from the Reason Foundation. Similar high-speed rail projects around the world have faced substantial cost overruns in development. That includes Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen system and California High-Speed Rail, which could someday connect Los Angeles to San Francisco.
The Texas effort has received substantial support from businesses in Texas, Japanese firms and the U.S. government. With a historic $66 billion commitment to passenger rail, the U.S. government under Biden appears to have its best bet in generations to start an authentic high-speed rail system. But the future of publicly subsidized projects, including Texas Central and California High-Speed Rail remain uncertain.
Amtrak told CNBC that if Texas Central passes a financial review, it could be open for passengers as soon as the early 2030s.
Chapters:
0:00 - 1:50 Introduction
1:55 Chapter 1 - Texas Triangle
4:35 Chapter 2 - Landowners
8:55 Chapter 3 - Amtrak partnership
12:02 Chapter 4 - Shinkansen in Texas
Produced, Shot and Edited by: Carlos Waters
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Additional production by: Liam Mays
Additional Camera by: Katie Brigham, Nathaniel Lee, Magdalena Petrova, Andrew Evers, Ashley Stringer
Animation: Christina Locopo
Additional Footage: Getty Images, KBTX
Additional Sources: Google Maps, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Reason Foundation, Rethink35, Texas State Library Archives, Texas Supreme Court
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Can Amtrak Finally Bring High-Speed Rail To Texas?

[@KJVirander]

I’ll never understand why building high speed rail or even light rail is so political. Not everyone wants to depend on a car and not everyone can afford it.

[@beAsham3]

Car and Oil companies want you to depend on it. That's how they make hand over fist in profits every year by having a monopoly on the US's mode of travel.

[@AcceptableVersion2-bz8dr]

Rich people's way of excluding the poor from the suburbs by requiring a car

[@joechung9388]

It's a zero-sum game. One more person to ride public transit means one less person to drive

[@danielkosciuszko9788]

NIMBYs

[@russianbear0027]

Many people are convinced by years of misinformation that the moment you step on a bus youll get stabbed. Though i think thats been turning around in the last decade

[@tubefaze]

"I will continue to fight for Texans." This woman does not in any way shape of form speak for the rest of us. This should have been built DECADES ago. Please bring high speed rail to Texas ASAP.

[@cruisinguy6024]

In hindsight we should have expanded rail as part of the interstate highway projects but it’s a little late for that now. I’ve drive the Houston to Dallas route many times and it SUCKS. I would absolutely take rail but the biggest issue I see is the lack of interconnection at the ends. There needs to be a tie in to Amtrak in Houston, tie in to Ft worth and the other major areas in the DFW area, and a better (not bus) tie in to Houston’s light rail (even though it’s a joke). Side note, Houston’s light rail is a joke and should have been built in decades ago. I’ve lived in Texas and New York and it’s sooooo nice being able to take a train everywhere and not have to worry about traffic, or designated driver, or parking, and so on

[@unomenah]

@@MilwaukeeF40C u cant either stop inflation without building this;hence, its better to build it.

[@Booz2020]

Make TEXAS Great Again 💪🦾

[@doomtomb3]

We have been waiting for this for more than three decades. Screw the landowners and farmers. They do not care about the rest of us. They are corrupted by airlines and oil companies.

[@AtulKedia]

​@@cruisinguy6024yes, end point connections are important. At the current state expanding any rail or public transit network is immensely important and will lead to other development in this area. Even if the Texas HDR initially ends at not great locations in Dallas and Houston, in sure the cities would start developing better connections, with light rail or anything, that will make it a complete network.

[@void_skyy]

as a central texan, this is desperately needed. i HATE driving 4 hours from austin to houston/dallas. high-speed rail would be a GAMECHANGER.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

You could also adjust your life to not require so much unnecessary travel.

[@void_skyy]

@@MilwaukeeF40C . it's hard to simply "adjust" tens of thousands of lives out of the blue, and travel between the 4 major central texas cities is necessary for a LOT of people.

[@karlshomekitchen]

HOWEVER, way more people do not travel in such way, and they have to pay for it with their tax money. I would have supported high speed as long as it had paid for itself by ticket revenue. @@void_skyy

[@eile4219]

Not when you find out the price of the ticket.

[@karlshomekitchen]

I understand your point. I hate paying so much for mortgage. Free housing or highly subsidized housing would be a GAMECHANGER for all of us

[@aassure1936]

“It’s gonna cut Madison county and every other county it goes through in half” last time I checked it’s a lot easier to walk across/under a rail line than it is to cross a highway lmao.

[@emikomina]

eminent domain on 10 lane highways? - no problem, have a good day! eminent domain on a single high speed rail line? - hell NO, we need to protest this!

[@Matthew-rp3jf]

American airlines hq and southwest airlines..both in dallas. Follow thr money.

[@L0LrevneD]

@emikomina THAT ☝️

[@Altoclarinets]

I don't understand why the rail viaducts can't just be run down the median of the interstate for most of its length, for this and many other HSR projects. It's already acquired land and most of these highways go where people are wanting to go.

[@L0LrevneD]

@@Altoclarinets I think one reason is because highways twist and turn, sometimes tightly. Which true high speed rail systems need to run as straight as possible so as to maximize speed.

[@soccerguy2433]

bank, pitch, curve requirements for cars vs trains. That's why. Especially for a bullet train.@@Altoclarinets

[@orlandoracer407]

So it's fine to tear down neighborhoods to build highways. But a high speed railway through a farm is an issue?🤨

[@brianbarber5401]

Note: over a farm.

[@isocarboxazid]

Lady is like, "I'll fight for mysel-, uh, Texans! I'm fighting for Texans!" A handful of selfish, horrible people like that hold the entire country back. See also: billionaires.

[@thndr_5468]

Right? We have to make sacrifices for the greater good and this is a great good. How can people be fine with adding yet another lane to a highway but not a single lane or two for a train?

[@artchick07]

​@@thndr_5468 Are you aware of how much farm land was lost building highways?! We are running out of useable farmland. We still need to eat.

[@thndr_5468]

you obviously didn't understand my point. I'm saying people are fine with using land for highways but seem to vehemently hate any amount of land being used for trains which is silly@@artchick07

[@cerka27]

That woman shouldn’t say she will continue to fight for Texas. I’m a Texan that has lived in Houston my entire life and I’m for high speed rail.

[@PhoenixBlade538]

Same here!!

[@jojo214xv]

You can’t speak for other Texans either 😂. She’s a farmer obviously she, along w many other farmers will be impacted by it... we should really invest into our border security.

[@geoms6263]

free Texassssss

[@rtxhoneybees]

I've lived in Dallas 27 years and I am totally against it. Im tired of city people only thinking about themselves and their convenience. What gives you the right to divide someones land and deny them access to both sides?

[@Jay-ef2ii]

@@jojo214xv Trains in Texas (referring to high speed rail) is nothing but a limit on Minority lands. Rich people only see their benefit. If people want to travel then they can take a plane or a car to their destination. April 2024.

[@jakemoon8473]

The "local" Shinkansen is 3.5 hours from Tokyo to Osaka. The express (the most common service) is just under 2.5 hours and costs about $85. No US visitor could ride a Shinkansen and leave thinking we shouldn't have these in America. The best part about it is how easy it is. You don't really even need to check the timetables. You go to the station when you're ready, buy a ticket for the next one (they run every 8-20 minutes), and then you're on your way. You're not even tired when you arrive.

[@hadriangonzalez607]

Even in Germany.. but the problem is.. not many US people travel outside of their states.. especially people from Texas.

[@fleetingimmersion]

@@hadriangonzalez607 I mean, I don't know about that, outside the country, sure, but state? I'm sure a large majority has taken family trips to grandma's house or the nearest coast (if not in a coastal state). I think it's more accurate to say that most Americans haven't been on a train, after all, only certain cities have metros, and the rest of the country is barely served.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

It's roughly 15,000Y or $100.

[@hadriangonzalez607]

@fleetingimmersion sorry I'm just using my states, Texas, statistics. Not many Texans travel outside of Texas.

[@fleetingimmersion]

@@hadriangonzalez607 Ah, I see. Yeah I can see a lot of Texans not leaving the state that often. I live on the east coast (Virginia) and though it takes a few hours, we can cross several states in less than a day, which is useful to see some caverns or historical landmarks in nearby states, hence road trip.

[@OBSMProductions]

The thing that gets me is when we built the interstate system most people's land that was taken had no say, it displaced millions and generates lots of noise and air pollution. An electric train is less land over viaducts and generates way less noise and no air pollution. Having some farmers that own huge acres saying its disruptive successfully blocking it is insane.

[@coolboss999]

Right? I remember during the highway craze, they just destroyed neighborhoods without an issue. Now that we have high speed rail which would take up arguably less land to take everyone is against it 🙄

[@doujinflip]

Oh were issues, up to what's been dubbed "freeway riots". Thing is the freeway plans affected primarily poor minority neighborhoods, most successful opposition were rich white communities like Manhattan and Pasadena.

[@The_king567]

Good it’s the farmers land they shouldn’t sell it

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

It's not really an issue of farmers not wanting to give up their land. It's an issue of getting enough money out of the transaction. It depends if they make the area under the elevated platform accessible. It also changes how the machinery has to be used. Texas has less strict environmental laws, so at least they don't have to worry about this getting stuck in courts for decades as all the environmental lawyers take their cut.

[@soccerguy2433]

a train isn't less land and it's way more intrusive.

[@xpythonxx7771]

Amazing how much lobbying holds our country back

[@mediocreman2]

The crazy thing is Southwest would have still been successful and would have adapted very quickly.

[@aassure1936]

@@mediocreman2I can’t imagine many people are actually flying from city to city within Texas for any reason other than a connection, and in that case they wouldn’t be competing with the rail line.

[@quazy1328]

You should see how much Amtrak lobbies to keep DART from building a high speed rail they have been trying to build since the early 2000's. Amtrak is afraid they will loose all of Texas to DART. Kinda embarrassing for a essentially government funded company to loose out to the private sector.

[@Jewish.Hotdog]

It's called corruption and bribery

[@jasonhoman6525]

@@mediocreman2 in this situation there would be no competition. The problem is that if they give them ground to make progress and more rails link up, they may start to lose business on longer connections

[@russ_garcia]

Currently sitting in standstill traffic on I-35 from Austin to San Antonio wishing we had high speed rail. PLEASE BUILD THIS.

[@russ_garcia]

Update now just moved for 100 yards at 3mph. Now standing still again on the highway…

[@LaJulieOrtega]

It’s such a pain to drive between the two cities, and we’re not even that far from each other 😢

[@AD59669]

20 years ago, we used to drive 45 min from Live Oak (north of SA) to South of Austin...😂 I remember those days. My cousin used to live near riverside, and we used to drive back and forth.

[@Orangeflava]

Did you ever make it home?​@russ_garcia

[@rvw8066]

Wouldn’t do you any good lol

[@TheTruthSeeker756]

Recently went to Europe and traveled on high speed rail. It was great. Very smooth. At times up to 186 mph. And then you get to a good sized city and you don’t need a car because they have a metro system that takes you everywhere and the trains run very frequently

[@markanderson4163]

ever been on an inner-city bus lately???hahahah

[@deanorr5378]

I'm a farmer who has a proposed highway planned through our rented land. It's weird for me to see other farmers against rail. If you oppose rail, you'll end up losing far more land to new and wider highways in the future. Not to mention that cars are also far more environmentally damaging and costly.

[@Demopans5990]

Also thanks to highways, tons of farmland gets redeveloped into suburbs. The sort of zoning code that spreads everything out leads to more highways which leads to more congestion which leads to ever greater sprawl

[@deanorr5378]

@Demopans5990 yes exactly, sprawl follows highways. It's an awful cycle. Rail built North America and gave us nice, vibrant walkable, economically productive downtowns. Why can't we have that again?

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

The population is peaking. What if any new sht is a waste?

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

deanorr5378 All of that existed before the government interfered in transportation and land use. So if you want that to come back, central planning, subsidies, and taxes need to be shtcanned.

[@davidjackson7281]

@@MilwaukeeF40CTexas populat:on's boom:ng. lt should exceed 40 M by the early 2040s to become the most populous state.

[@johnchristensen7096]

Not only is this a positive for climate purposes, but this could also save Americans hundreds to thousands in car maintenance and gas, that’s what makes this appealing to me

[@Slithermotion]

High speed rail is more competing against airplanes then cars at least for the 200-400km mark. Regular public transit replaces daily commute e.g. bus, trains or metro.

[@mrm7058]

Don't forget it also saves people's time, that would otherwise be wasted on congested highways.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

Kind of depends on the price of using the rail and how much driving a person may still have to do doesn't it?

[@KJVirander]

Which is exactly why it won’t happen. Lobbyists always get the final say

[@Rennkartoffel258]

Not exactly super clean because it’s still gonna use coal and natural gas for the electricity, but yeah still a good improvement for the environment.

[@tobycueni3186]

Everyone who doesn't claim to want this, actually NEEDS this.

[@tahirisaid2693]

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[@htconexify]

Never understood why US is 50 years behind other developed nations in public transport. Bring this!

[@beAsham3]

Car, Oil, and Airline lobbyists strong arming and using fear tactics over the years are the reason for this. Also, highway surveyors don't get paid by saying "yeah, highspeed rail makes more sense here than a lane widening project". They get paid by building more highway.

[@fauxbro1983]

lol were not.

[@hsko8007]

@@fauxbro1983 you just don't know how well-built it is in other countries... I can tell you that we are the best in many things but public transport certainly isn't one

[@gOD_SmackED]

​@fauxbro1983, you're showing that you've never been outside the US...

[@doujinflip]

It's easier to get around on public transit in Dubai and Doha than in Dallas, and it's infamously car-centric in the Gulf States.

[@thedapperdolphin1590]

Texas contains several of the top 10 most populated cities in the U.S. They’re all simultaneously far enough apart that driving between them is a pain, but they’re close enough for high speed rail to be more efficient than flying. It’s a no brainer.

[@Patmorgan235Us]

The I35 corridor makes a lot more sense from a deisty stand point it has 3 major meteor areas and 2-3 minor ones. But construction would be more challenging as it's a lot more built up.

[@kevinmccarthy2793]

@@Patmorgan235Us I-35 is essentially a giant parking lot on weekdays between 7am and 9am and 3pm and 7pm. We have a saying in north Austin. If you want to get to South Austin during South by Southwest, Austin City Limits, or racedays, then it's must faster to drive up to Oklahoma City, across to Denver, down to El Paso, follow the border to Brownsville, then come up through San Antonio than it is to drive I-35 south.

[@rvw8066]

As in you must not have a brain to support it, sure

[@JamesClark993311]

As a DFW resident I would absolutely love a high speed rail line here

[@bearowen5480]

The reason Japan's and Europe's super high speed rail systems are so successful is that they connect major metropolitan centers that are relatively close together. Intercity travel times are competitive with air transport and freeway drive times. The most obvious travel market area to benefit from bullet train rail service would be the American northeastern corridor connecting Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. AMTRAK serves that corridor now with relatively fast "Acela" trains limited mostly to speeds of less than 100 mph. Yet, it is the only AMTRAK segment that is profitable. Even at slower speeds, compared to Japan's Shinkansen trains traveling at over 200 mph, AMTRAK is faster and more convenient than competing airline service when factoring in airport to city center drive or light rail times, and the two hour airport congestion and security wait times at departure airports. On the NE corridor, bullet trains on dedicated trackage would make economic sense, as perhaps also between large metro areas like Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas Fort Worth. I am skeptical though about the wisdom of locating the termini outside city business districts which will force passengers to navigate to city centers through suburban and inner city congestion. That's not faced by travelers on the northeast corridor, since they are deposited in city center terminals. So, super fast trains are not the silver bullet to transform America's intercity transportation system, but between certain high density population city pairs it makes sense. The danger, especially in liberty loving America, is when politics rather than economics dictate routing of the projected system. When that happens you get the mess you see in California with unsustainable cost overruns and trains to nowhere! You can also see similar problems in the cost overrun disaster in Britain's similar attempt to build high speed rail north from London. So beware, Texas!

[@skolarii]

"Berry's family has farmed this land for generations" shows land covered in weeds and dry patches with no signs of farming*

[@BaoNguyen-un1km]

She’s just holding out for the right price

[@TheBooban]

@@BaoNguyen-un1kmwell, Texas can just seize it.

[@vascobranco5296]

That's not very democratic​@@TheBooban

[@Mike__B]

The shot of her using a tool at 6:29 in the video also looks like she's doing it just for the video. I bet she has just enough growing to classify it as "farm land" for whatever tax breaks you might get in Texas. Those overhead shots showing the land with shrubs and trees (tall ones bigger than the homes, which are not of the fruit variety) and a tiny little portion which I would classify as a "garden plot", just to keep up the illusion that' it's a working farm.

[@TheBooban]

@@vascobranco5296 eminent domain, as mentioned in the video. Not democratic? Life is full of harsh realities.

[@pklukeram]

The United States desperately needs more transit. Faster, cheaper, and environmentally friendly! Texas is the perfect state to adopt a high speed network. Bring it!

[@jonathanvaldivia6315]

It’s already happening in FL

[@johnnybaz959]

Hell yea!!! Bring It!!!!

[@harambe2552]

lol imagine thinking this bullet train would be actually cheap. Prepare to pay $150+ per ticket one way

[@tibbers3755]

@@harambe2552 cheaper than air in my experience

[@The_king567]

No we definitely don’t

[@atpecina6048]

As someone who has lived in SA, Waco, and Austin.. please include the WHOLE triangle. Not just Dallas & Houston!!!

[@TheHornet44]

I imagine they plan to but it’s one step at a time

[@TheDaexiled1]

Start with a simple one, from Fort Worth to Dallas an back alongside I-30, that there would cut DFW's traffic by over 20%, even a monorail would be something

[@sojukyd]

Everyone complains about traffic, adding lanes isn't the answer. Getting cars off the roads is. But America loves its cars.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Privatize everything.

[@albertoclonado]

They don’t love cars, they are held hostage to use their cars

[@gamelord12]

@@MilwaukeeF40CPrivate transit has a really hard time making a profit for all sorts of reasons, but it's usually a great public investment for stimulating other economic activity. Roads aren't privatized either for the same reasons.

[@josevillanueva9091]

You forgot trucks. They live their cars and WORSHIP their trucks. All this while complaining about gas prices.

[@coke8077]

I love cars and driving but any alternative transport I’ll all for it. Less cars on the road the better.

[@dannovikoff8454]

fun fact: the Japanese HSR system was controversial during its inception due to it massively over budget and was incredibly delayed. It is now a model for the rest of the world. These things cost money and take forever but in 40 years everyone will love them. Those who like driving will love it because less people will drive!

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

The rest of the world has also studied the Japanese model of debt spending to GDP for 40 years. The conclusion? Not really recommended.

[@roro4787]

Lol Japanese highspeed trains pales in comparison to what China has achieved! I mean now China's high speed rails are the golden standard.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

roro4787 Gold standard of what? What is superior? And do you want China governance?

[@aidanmccarthy9249]

And nobody talks about how it went over budget. Just how awesome the trains are.

[@TheStickCollector]

@@roro4787 Ah yes, the country where the government is literally behind everything that is made there. It is easy for them to invest however much money needed to get it going to make it look good. I would say for a private model japanese rails are as good as you will get. Doesn't excuse whatever basically abandoned lines they cut but I suppose if they truly were derogated why keep them?

[@SantiagotheManchecutioner]

As someone who occasionally has to commute to Dallas from Houston, this has been needed for years. It is way too time-consuming and costly to go back and forth for businesses, and people

[@arriagachris1]

17 years old. Born and have lived in Texas my whole life. I’ve never been on a train. Ever. I think I’d be cool.

[@daviddandrige9461]

36 here, South Texas born never experienced a train ride in Texas. Not until I flew to Africa and rode on their trains from Nairobi to Mombasa about 10 years ago. Its shocking that what we consider a third world country they are more ahead of us. Texas sure could benefit a high speed railway system.

[@DoneDealAC]

She is really farming all that land with that tool??!! 6:27

[@Modine.]

No, that was just for the camera. I'm sure she has larger equipment for the farm.

[@alexejvornoskov6580]

@@Modine. did you see how her farmland did look like? There doesnt seem to be any farming activity going on there at all.

[@alexnorth757]

@@alexejvornoskov6580 probably one of the many people who file their taxes claiming their properties are farmland so they can avoid taxes.

[@lours6993]

Probably a fake lobby group (‘astroturfing’ rather than ‘grass-roots’) set up and funded by big oil, auto and airline interests. That’s how they usually oppose HSR in the US.

[@tnnsboy18]

@@alexnorth757 i def wanna do that ;D uncle sam is killing me with these taxes

[@brightb3330]

stopping highspeed rail for a ugly patch of dirt is crazy work

[@9876karthi]

Lol as long as it is other's land we can talk s#it...

[@SA-nu2so]

6:30 She doesn’t even look like she know how to farm 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@coolboss999]

For a rotten shed that could easily be built better is also insane...

[@alexnorth757]

@@SA-nu2so the aerial shots of her land and the like 3 crops she was digging around make her place look like a farm just like i and my 250lb gut make me look like an olympic athlete.

[@The_king567]

They should ban it

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

This video should have done its due diligence in reporting why Texas Central abruptly stopped this project despite winning the supreme court ruling on imminent domain. It was because the estimated costs ballooned to $30B and the estimated ridership by independent analysts was only 1.4M people per year. They greatly over estimated the expected revenue and profits.

[@thrillhax]

We used the Shinkansen system in Japan for the first time this year. The convenience and how it’s stress-less is amazing. People also need to realize that if you miss your train, you can just get on the next one (you’d lose your reserved seats, but still have the ability to get on the unreserved cars)

[@derekkuhl]

The last mile problem has to be solved. In Houston, this has to connect to the light rail and there has to be a large parking lot at the terminus for those who the light rail is not convenient. This would be an unbelievable development for business. Reducing the commute to an hour between these two cities would open up incredible possibilities. The economic impact would far exceed the dollars spent.

[@eddyr1041]

An hour? That would practically join those cities into 1😊

[@edrupp2318]

"The last mile problem has to be solved". Exactly. For high speed rail to be successful in Texas, it has to connect downtown business centers, IMHO.

[@Patmorgan235Us]

METRO already has a bunch of projects to build a transit center and BRT to the Houston station. A light rail connection is on the road map but not currently funded.

[@Demopans5990]

@eddyr1041 In many ways, thanks to Amtrak, the NE Corridor is one massive city.

[@cruisinguy6024]

The problem is the Houston light rail is an utter joke, and has been for some time. Like, how does it still not connect to at least IAH??? Texas has a massive transportation infrastructure deficiency.

[@TheDesignerDeveloper]

Not just Texas, but AMERICA needs this. Break the oil and gas lobby

[@Aggie4life77]

High speed rail for Texas, Cali and the one from Atlanta to Charlotte would be an absolute game changer! I live in Dallas and being able to take a train down to Austin, San Antonio or Houston for a day would be amazing! They need to get this done ASAP! Also, i thing they should make car rentals for a single day more popular! You can use Uber, but some may want to have a car to venture around.

[@taxthechurches946]

Ask the people in Europe or Asia if they regret having High Speed Rail.

[@SalmanMentos]

Not at all (Whoosh is the name of my country's HSR💀)

[@jonathanpicket124]

People in the US don't seem to understand how to adopt what works well in other countries... it's infuriating.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@jonathanpicket124 "People in the US don't seem to understand how to adopt what works well in other countries... it's infuriating." People in other countries don't have the same economic outcomes as we do in the USA. But, we can raise YOUR taxes if you want to pay for HSR.

[@jonathanpicket124]

@@JohnSmith-zi9or You’re absolutely right that “People in other countries don't have the same economic outcomes as we do in the USA.” We have the 7th highest GDP per capita among all countries, yet our social spending isn’t even top 20. So, what good is that high GDP doing the average person? There are far more countries with a lower income disparity, happier, more educated, and a more free populace. We are not the best at anything other than producing a strong military (it’s not even a fair comparison considering how much we spend on our “defense” budget). So, alluding to the idea that we are the best and that it's because of our high GDP is downright idiotic. How about we raise YOUR taxes to pay for the national highway system that’s falling apart? We pay far more just to maintain that oil and gas subsidy than we spend on any rail infrastructure.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@jonathanpicket124 "So, alluding to the idea that we are the best and that it's because of our high GDP is downright idiotic. " No, you did. We can have all of those things, we just need to raise everyone's taxes to 30-45% like those countries. Nobody has better outcomes than the USA. It is why everyone wants to come here. However, you have the freedom to be an idiot, to be of poor health, to live in poverty. That's the difference.

[@pbilk]

At 1:33, does she think that she is fighting for Texans by preventing alternative modes of travel. She is actually fighting against that grandmother that can't drive anymore who wants to visit their family or that teen who can't afford an automobile. We need critical voices to prevent things going out of control like costs and environmental concerns but opposing voices like hers hurts everyone. Especially since it seems to come from a lack of understanding of the benefits over the disadvantages.

[@aassure1936]

Exactly, she’s fighting against the worker who can’t afford a car who wants to visit their family, the grandparent who can no longer drive safely, the businessman/woman who can leave for a business trip in the morning and be back the same night to spend time with their family. She’s only fighting for herself and that joke she calls a farm.

[@rvw8066]

Oh look a non Texan who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Howdy.

[@S0ulEaTeR1012]

This should already be a thing. Insane that it is such a struggle.

[@josepha9061]

I’m from Texas and it will be beautiful to have a high speed railway connecting all the big cities.

[@davidpaz9389]

High speed rail in the US needs to happen. Not only is it another option for travellers, which is always a plus, but other modes must compete for those dollars.

[@308_Negra_Arroyo_Lane]

Even if it does happen it will only be 1 or 2 short lines at most. The US will NEVER get a network like China.

[@davidpaz9389]

@@308_Negra_Arroyo_Lane I wouldn't put too much stock in how China does things. They construct colossal buildings, rail networks, etc in astounding time frames. But what might have been sacrificed for speed?

[@juiceontheloose123]

@@davidpaz9389 China's HSR system is the greatest network of transportation in the history of mankind. nothing compares to its quality and quantity

[@spyderlogan4992]

Good, build it in your backyard then...

[@davidpaz9389]

@@spyderlogan4992 The county, state, US, and interstate highways we all use were built in someone's backyard. If you live in TX like I do the reservior you fish and boat in flooded someone's backyard.

[@nishinasuno]

I love riding the Shinkansen.

[@Perich29]

more likely be Avelia Liberty if Amtrak takes over.

[@TrainFanFinland]

@@Perich29 When considering how badly Alstom has performed with building Avelias for NEC, I don't think Amtrak is buying anything from Alstom anytime soon.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

Add them to the blacklist with Bombardier.

[@Yowzoe]

🚆I loved it too, my Japanese hosts were so proud of it 30 years ago. You would think the guy that narrates this otherwise insightful mini-doc would spend one minute to learn its proper pronunciation!

[@dolliare495]

this is absolutely necessary and would be a massive change for the better in not just texas - but also pushing for the expansion of high speed rail across all of the USA

[@MrMikeDao]

I was a teen when I first heard about this project now I have a house and a wife. I'll be using this in spirit by the time this finishes

[@kiddadd]

Oh man. 😮‍💨

[@CJWJR]

I have found that opponents of the system have never ridden a high speed train. I loved riding the AVE in Spain when I studied there in 2007. It took two and a half hours to go from Sevilla to Madrid, and that was with three stops. (There are even non-stop express trains, which expedite travel times even more.) Even with high speed rail, we will still need planes and cars, but at least it will give us a much better option for traveling regional distances.

[@SgtKaneGunlock]

TBF there are down sides to public transportation BUT it almost always offset by the numerous benefits to society

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

@14:00 Tokyo to Osaka is 2h 22minutes by train... with a max speed of 285km/h and its fastest route makes 4 stops at Shinagawa, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kyoto before terminating at Shin-Osaka. These trains run every 6-10 minutes during busy times. The 3.5hour quote is for the all-stops Kodama service... which only runs hourly. Texas HSR will be using a newer trainset on straighter tracks with only one stop at Brazos Valley and will travel up to 350km/h if I'm not mistaken.

[@firepower01]

Good to see Andy Byford working on this. He was great when he was running the TTC in Toronto.

[@lordgemini2376]

Andy Byford is a god. He's been great running things everywhere he's been!

[@KrishnaAdettiwar]

Andy Byford also saved the MTA while he worked in NYC. NYC loved him so much that he’s well known across the city as Train Daddy and there are murals across the city for him 😂 so glad he’s working at Amtrak now to help push this!

[@NotaPizzaGRL]

@@KrishnaAdettiwarWasn't Andy Byford driven out of the MTA? He didn't seem to be there very long.

[@KrishnaAdettiwar]

@@NotaPizzaGRL he wasn’t driven out, the governor (Andrew Cuomo) kept meddling with Andy’s plans and didn’t allow Andy to run the MTA independently. Cuomo would apparently start leaving Andy off important meetings at the state level which directly involved the MTA, but would include Andy’s direct reports. Apparently it was this whole mess, Andy didn’t get the support he needed and kept having to fight his way through Cuomo for even basic things at some point, and he eventually left

[@populustremula7496]

The first bullet train in America will see huge numbers of riders for the sheer novelty effect alone.

[@davidjackson7281]

But will they then continue riding beyond novelty?

[@markanderson4163]

for the first week

[@The_king567]

No it won’t it will go bankrupt in a year

[@Dorito8052]

@@The_king567 If the Shinkansen or TGV taught us anything, it would be a success.

[@The_king567]

@@Dorito8052 prove it then

[@daviddandrige9461]

As a person at age 36 who lives in south Texas & would love to visit San Antonio through Dallas then Houston & back more frequently. It shocks me to this day that we don’t have a high speed passenger railway system. Going by my own vehicle or by bus is a hassle & going by plane is expensive. I’m sad that I probably won’t be alive to see the railway system to be completed in my lifetime.

[@Vainglory100]

I, a texan, support this

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

"I will continue to impede any progress" is what she meant to say.

[@rvw8066]

Nothing about this is progress.

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

@@rvw8066 I imagine if you had ever left Texas and visited places like Japan, France, Italy, Switzerland, etc. You would recognize why what you are saying is just stupid. I know it must be hard to understand when you don't travel outside much, but to people who have to commute, we prefer not dealing with extreme congestion.

[@nahor88]

@@rvw8066 I guess it wasn't progress when internet companies got you connected on your little hick farm huh?

[@howled0]

@@rvw8066 Then dont complain when Texas begins to pile up traffic like whats happening in California. Dont blame it on the californians! Blame it on people like you!

[@JACING80]

14:12 Fastest train from Tokyo to Osaka actually takes only 2.5 hours, not 3.5 stated in the video. In reality it's a huge difference. CNBC should supposedly be good at numbers...

[@samuelhoward8504]

With how many people are flooding to Texas, we need faster travel and high speed trains just make sense

[@VSNxx]

I lived in Japan and travelled many times on the Shinkansen (bullet train in Japanese) from Nagoya downtown to Tokyo downtown in 1.5 hour. It was wonderful, fast and very convenient. No brainer if well done, believe me.

[@user-ze8fr9tr3h]

I'd argue most Japanese people don't give a sh*t about the environment in terms of travel, taking the Shinkansen is simply the best and logical option for traveling between some cities (e.g. Tokyo to Nagoya, Fukuoka to Kumamoto, etc.)

[@lysandertavish1684]

what sources are you pulling this from? Japanese culture and society has always been very trash aware and waste management minded for the citizens, so this is the first I've heard of such a claim being argued

[@bz-om1pu]

The Japanese poured tens of thousands of tons of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Is this what you call Japanese culture?@@lysandertavish1684

[@BrotherCheng]

That's not a bad thing. You want to align people's incentives with the public good. Otherwise you are forcing people to make a hard choice every time they travel.

[@friedzombie4]

lol agreed, especially if you've been to the local combini and all the produce including apples and bananas are in plastic

[@TheVlad434]

​@@lysandertavish1684oh really? Google minamata disease then

[@letis9541]

Honestly as a Texan, i hate treaveling on the open road. Nothing but endless concrete. Dangerous as well.

[@The_king567]

No you don’t

[@Demopans5990]

@The_king567 It's like driving in NYC traffic, but at 60+. And with more pickups everywhere. At least you can be reasonably sure what the cars around you will be doing as you drive in NYC, that is, staying still

[@railfannerryan]

@@The_king567bros trying to control people💀

[@The_king567]

@@railfannerryan yes

[@railfannerryan]

@@The_king567 based on your response I can assume you’re a spoiled gen alpha brat with unrestricted internet access

[@camillea4665]

I've lived in Texas all my life and wish there was a highspeed rail. That lady doesn't speak for us. WE NEED IT.

[@Micology101]

I really want to experience this new opportunity to travel around America on this new system, I'm all for it. But, I also understand the land owner concerns. Hopefully they can come to some kind of agreement 😊!! Thank you!! Mic'2024

[@Micology101]

Give the landowners part stock investment into the projects for consideration ❤!! Thank you!! Mic'2024 😊!!

[@DRockafeller]

This how you make America great ..... Doing something positive and productive

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

Would you vote for Trump if he announced HSR between city pairs that make sense?

[@The_king567]

This is actually terrible

[@Pensyfan19]

Great to see another CNBC Video about trains, it's been a good minute. No matter how expensive startup construction costs may be for anything rail related, it's always worth building since it takes up less land and will be connecting millions of people on a daily basis. Also, several highway projects have exponentially higher costs, yet are still getting endless funding from the U.S. government, so it's not fair to complain about rail which has more benefits while much more destructive highways are being built with almost no vocal opposition.

[@mvmlego1212]

"Exponentially higher" with respect to what variable? Distance? Passenger capacity?

[@Jonathon10]

If there were high speed rail across the USA, it would completely change the country

[@chriskeller3705]

As someone who frequently has to drive back and forth between DFW and Houston, I fully support this. I’d much rather be able to just shoot down to Houston and then zip back up to Dallas the next day. As opposed to carving out 5-6 hours to drive and sit in the inevitable traffic on 45. Not to mention the added wear and tear on my car. If this is built I will definitely be a frequent rider.

[@ponuni]

nothing will get done in America because before you get something done you have to ask someone's grandma and then their grandma has to ask somebody elses' grandma and the cycle goes on forever.

[@brendanzhang7488]

and bc you cant grab land whenever u feel like it, when u buy land, landowner who don't wanna sell push prices up and also stupid construction laws

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

It will eventually

[@rushrush1209]

Yes, there's always the Not In My Backyard supporters. I understand their concerns to a certain extent.

[@CharBar07]

Sounds like damn if you do, damn if you don’t.

[@paulis7319]

That's what happens when you don't live in a communist/socialist country. We actually have the right to say "no" to anyone wanting to use our land. sure it's inconvenient sometimes, but it beats being forced by daddy govt to give up our land.

[@CreepahKillahRSA]

PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN

[@stevechance150]

Southwest Airlines: "Noooooooo!!!".

[@Perich29]

@@stevechance150 No body wants to fly on the POS 737 MAX. Ground transportation are lot safer than air travel.

[@buildintotrains]

@@Perich29 statistically speaking, air travel is still far safer than nearly all ground travel. THAT BEING SAID: I think trains are way cooler

[@evaluateanalysis7974]

​@@Perich29"Ground transportation are lot safer than air travel." with the possible exception of the MAX, that is completely untrue.

[@devinrr]

@@evaluateanalysis7974 except the extent of damage with the max was a door falling out.. at least in the US

[@nahbro696]

Im so glad the comment section is full of fellow texans that are begging for the railways to get built. When I was a kid I took a train ride up to Dallas and even to this day the route still picks you up at 7:00 a.m. from San Antonio and you don't get to Dallas until 3:00 p.m. You're better off driving then taking the train. Getting back home is equally bad as you have to leave Dallas. I think around 4: 00pm and don't get home till like 10:00 pm. There's also only one train per day that goes from San Antonio to Dallas. So if you miss 7:00 a.m. train you have to wait until the next one or just drive /fly

[@kiddadd]

This is why I didn't take a train a couple of years ago. Was at least six hours to get somewhere.

[@nivekzorantinez8872]

More people see benefits in High Speed Trains. Less Ubers on the Road. Less car riders who are trying to get from point A to B. And as a Driver.. I see this as an absolute win.

[@_BSH_1971]

Please bring the high speed rail to Texas. It will be amazing to have this service.

[@fire9110]

Air travel is quickly becoming overwhelmed and unreliable. Time to invest in rail in America!

[@TheRandCrews]

yep especially with that Southwest fiasco during Christmas, and ongoing horrible incidents in flights

[@benwalter4842]

Not to mention the recent Boeing crisis.

[@BirbarianHomeGuard]

Wild that one of the most conservative states has a city with a super long light rail network.

[@charlesball6519]

Dallas is not a conservative city. Fort Worth is, that's why they don't have a light rail system.

[@Clxkenem]

HSR system is super cool. That’s why us needs it

[@doctor78212]

I have been hearing about high speed rail in Texas for decades. Would like to ride on it before I die.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

Texas would benefit greatly with high speed rail, their zoning laws are much lenient, land there is cheap, and it's mostly flat with major cities. But most Americans don't get the value of trains, even though it is a necessary public utility in a country. The United States, despite problems with cost of living and wealth inequality, it is still a first-world country. And the semblance of a first-country is great public transportation, such as, trains. In my opinion, for Americans to be conditioned to supporting high speed rail, which is more expensive than regular rail systems, metro systems should be built in cities first. Because building high speed rail that connect major cities is a good idea, however the benefits don't immediately reach a larger number of people, as people will prefer to drive instead to not be hassled on renting a vehicle once they reach their destination. A robust metro system like Tokyo's system put in place in America cities would immediately sell the future of rail in the country, because the product would be speed and convenience. Once die-hard car people experience that, they might change their views on public transportation into supporting rail. The current narrative of die-hard car loving Americans is that it is political, trains equate Liberals, Socialism, and Leftist, while cars and highways mean freedom, patriotism, and Right-Wing. It is rather strange why it's like that. It should be a point of national pride if the country has a robust transportation system, regardless where you lie on the political spectrum. The United States, as first-world country, is lagging behind on public transportation compared to other countries. And this should be fixed.

[@compugasm]

In fact, USA is the world leader in train transport. But we transport cargo, not people. Our rail lines span the entire country, east to west, north to south. And it usually travels in the rural areas where you don't see it. Because it's is more cost efficient to fill cars full of goods, then partially full of people. No surprise that Amtrak is wholly owned by the government, and makes the case that rail "isn't a factor" to our society, while the exact opposite is true. More government lies.

[@TheBooban]

If you use train to the city, you arrive with no car. Stuck. Video already showed the tracks stop outside the city. High speed rail is the ultimate public transport. But all the other bits gotta be done first.

[@Makko404]

@@compugasmIt's so odd how you recognize how valuable rail lines are yet can't seem the grasp at simple things such as scope and demand. No one's proposing to connect California and New York via rail. All people want is just a short segment of that cargo rail distance to be between their cities in a singular state so they don't have to drive several hours or buy a expensive plane ticket for just for leisure or work.

[@compugasm]

@@Makko404 _All people want is just a short segment of that cargo rail distance_ That is the biggest problem. This short rail benefits a small segment of the population, and requires actual billions of dollars. The road budget too, is billions of dollars, yet benefits the entire state. This short line, is nothing more than the plaything of rich people to attend football games, and buy trinkets at gift shops hundreds of miles away. Nobody commutes hundreds of miles to work. We can't have "walkable neighborhoods" while simultaneously transporting people hundreds of miles away to attend school. This isn't sustainable.

[@AwesomeHairo]

The U.S is not a first world country.

[@L0LrevneD]

The irony of many American’s sentiment against transit and HSR is that they argue it takes away their freedom. When in actuality, their “freedom” (cars), is forced onto the public, including people who may not want to or can’t afford a car.

[@conorreynolds9739]

As an American, this irony is so frustrating. My own family, “progressive” people I work with, racial justice advocates locally, all act like anything other than driving infrastructure is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[@sanchorim8014]

These same people go through invasive and inconvemient airport security lines to squeeze themselves into flying sardine cans. Planes are a net benefit, but if you have no problem with them, spare me the "freedom" line, because air travel is very restrictive.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

What if I want freedom from ANYTHING subsidized at my expense, causing inflation?

[@L0LrevneD]

@@MilwaukeeF40C Have you seen the price of cars lately? Talk about inflation at one’s expense.

[@Zombiexm]

@@MilwaukeeF40C Okay. Lets stop subsidizing Energy, and oil companies and enjoy paying for that 12-15 dollar /gal gas. :)

[@daopeter]

The global impact on the economy of Texas would be amazing.

[@ethanh5978]

I wish we had this already. I live in Houston and go to college in Dallas so I have to make the trip between fairly often. Having a train between would be amazing and save me so much time and money

[@aiden359]

As a Californian, this seems like an easy way for Texas and Florida politicians to brag about how much better their states are at completing large infrastructure projects.

[@MichaelfromtheGraves]

California High Speed Rail will be the state's biggest bragging point in 10 years

[@tranquil14738]

Yeah and ppl hate California over here so it’s really shocking to me people don’t just want to do it just to stick to yall lmao And like jokes aside high speed rail for the Texas triangle is legitimately the perfect place to put it. Clean air conditioned roomy comfortable cheap transport across the Texas triangle is like what we need

[@GoAgainstTheOdds]

Well at least we were the ones to build the train itself right here in california

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@GoAgainstTheOdds You're FAR from being done building.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@MichaelfromtheGraves Merced to Bakersfield .. yeah, bragging points. And you're lucky if it's done by 2033. That's when they're projecting but they're still almost $100 billion short. Good luck.

[@underratedbub]

Let's make America the rail world leader again!

[@bin.s.s.]

Then you have 3+ leaders to surpass before seeing the taillight of China.

[@here-i-am2316]

Costs too much. Have you seen how much it costs per foot ?

[@wiley-harris-anderson]

@@here-i-am2316Yeah moron that's how it works. You build expensive rail so the cost per mile of anything running on it is extremely low.

[@WakandaleezaRazz]

@@here-i-am2316Have you seen how much we give Ukraine?

[@Jet2880]

@@here-i-am2316 have you researched how much it cost to make and operate a road. Comparable and a rail is less damaging to the environment. No run off, less noise, less space consumed. There are other forces in play that won’t let this happen.

[@Nalehw]

I like this Andy Byford guy. He seems well-spoken and passionate, knows the key arguments (like the distance sweet spot), and is aware of the state of the issue not just in his own country but internationally (see the comment about highways getting easier subsidies). Dunno his track record but it's a good first impression. Would've liked to see slightly more about the pros/cons of the Dallas terminus versus the Fort Worth extension.

[@khyberw]

I travel between San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and DFW so often, this would be so great.

[@brucehicks5817]

From San Antonio and high speed rail in Texas is something my friends and I talk about regularly. This should have happened years ago. 35, 45, and 10 + Southwest Airlines can't be the only options for a state with this much growth.

[@LaJulieOrtega]

The plane ✈️ tickets are hella expensive too!

[@EvanBlack11]

I hope the people like the lady who has the farm reads these comments. She said she would fight for Texans, but what you are fighting for is solely your needs and wrapping it together in a noble cause. If you really want to fight for Texans support a train that would take 1000's of people out of a car preventing serious or fatal crashes each day, week, month or year.

[@doujinflip]

Car crashes are a "personal problem", just like every other inconvenient conception.

[@EvanBlack11]

@@doujinflip Sorry im lost on what you mean. I would love for you to explain more.

[@jasonreed7522]

​@@EvanBlack11they are explaining the mindset you are arguing against. The real issue is that big buisness lobbies like the airlines, car companies, and oil industry would all lose money because of the HSR. Any organization named "Americans against X" in always a supported by a huge company/financial group, typically the same one.

[@EvanBlack11]

@@jasonreed7522 thanks you two are so correct.

[@hadriangonzalez607]

That lady gets a tax credit from the government for her "farm". I have a friend that has little livestock here in Texas and gets a sizable tax credit for his farm as well.

[@daopeter]

We need high speed rail in Texas and throughout the US. Let’s do it better than Japan!!

[@meb3369]

Texans have been waiting for this our whole lives

[@Kenjm1]

Please make this happen for all major cities in America🙏🏼

[@The_king567]

No let’s never make this happen

[@connorrichmond5115]

Houston to Dallas in an hour would be insane - I have a ton of friends in Dallas I never get to see bc I hate I-45 N. It feels ridiculous that it takes 3+ hours to get to Dallas from Houston by car.

[@henrylarson]

As someone who lives and commutes in Texas we DESPERATELY NEED RAIL here 😭

[@sih9696]

A real High-Speed train (not like the one in India) is genuinely convenient! Heard of the Indonesian High-Speed train?

[@BlackSheepEvents]

There no way the gas/oil industry is not behind stopping this. This would be massive for Texas

[@KWally]

As a Canadian, North America is so behind with transportation due to our complete ignorance of high speed rail over the past few decades.

[@loganleroy8622]

No it's because the country is so much bigger and everything is so much more spread out. It's far easier for other countries to invest in their HSR because they are so much smaller and people can actually experience the benefit of new rail lines put in. It's much harder to ask someone in Edmonton to pay more in taxes just so someone in Montreal doesn't have to drive to Toronto

[@gerhardma4297]

@@loganleroy8622 You're right about the vastness and distances in the USA and Canada, but plan and realize a high-speed line in densely populated Germany or Japan where it feels like there's a town, a low mountain range or a castle in the way every 5 km. It's all relative my friend. 😉

[@loganleroy8622]

@@gerhardma4297 It's precisely because Germany and Japan are densely populated that HSR makes more sense. In the US and Canada, everything and everyone is spread out. Driving on wide open flat roads is relaxing, driving through a mountain pass is stressful. Much more likely to convince someone to take a train to the other side of a mountain than to drive there.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

​@@loganleroy8622 How in the world do the many towns benefit the HSL which passes through them with no station whatsoever?

[@loganleroy8622]

@@MarioFanGamer659 They don’t.

[@Luke_Go]

28.6 million passengers per year? Wow!!! The tiny nation of Switzerland has more than that every month.....

[@gerhardma4297]

Most Muricans don't even find Switzerland on a map than understand the principle of public transport

[@hackbrettschorsch6855]

And Eurostar carries around 10m passengers per year between Paris and London. Obviously a dense rail network has much higher passenger numbers than a single point to point connection…

[@nombretaken9467]

you’re comparing a state to a country 😭 i’d get if you compared a canton to state or a city to a city but like an entire country? plus it’s not a network like the mta is and that gets billions of people per year it’s pretty obvious it won’t be used by every single person and tourist between those two cities 😭

[@mannidennis1031]

@@gerhardma4297lol 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@Luke_Go]

​@@nombretaken9467 The 28.6 million Amtrak passengers are in all of the US. Texas has 30 million inhabitants (Switzerland has a third of that). The MTA has 1.8b passengers/year - all of Switzerland has a similar number, but half the population of metropolitan New York. No matter how you try to spin it, it doesn't look good for TX, NY, or the US.

[@calichris8183]

As a Houston resident I'd love to be able to get to Dallas in 90 minutes!!!!

[@garybythesea]

Sharing my experience about high speed rail and airline in China. I flew between two cities in China recently. It is one hour flight, cost me US$300. I was shocked. My brother casually told me, it is because these two cities don't have high speed rail connection, so the airline dominating the route can charge whatever they like. Later I checked high speed rail ticket price from center of China to the south, it starts from US$100, which is two hour if flying. Guess how much for airline ticket on this route? It starts from US$100. China's transportation price is not totally free market, but it is an example if you don't have alternatives, airlines and car related industry can do whatever they want.

[@ThatLittleTexanWoman]

I have lived in Texas my whole life and I don’t know of any major city in Texas where people associate public transport with convenience or safety, especially at night. That is a major reason why Texans prefer cars. If the light rail planners want public support they need to go work on the existing public transport systems in Texas and prove to the public they can be made more efficient and more safe. Until then, I don’t see many average people clamoring to use a train that will begin and end in difficult to navigate cities.

[@jescorpizo7614]

Safety is one thing but the infrastructure is so hard to change. If you notice in Houston, Metro doesn’t even cover all quads efficiently. It’s hard to make routes when the streets within the loops barely leave enough space for more bus routes. If only we can replace the land barriers on the roads with a rail, that would be nice

[@KrishnaAdettiwar]

It’s not the public transportation agencies in Texas that is the issue. It’s the local and state politics of Texas and the public transportation agencies that have to fight TXDOT every step of the way, just to provide basic service. The agencies are trying everything they can, TXDOT and local + state govt just makes it incredibly difficult for anything other than automobile infrastructure to be built in Texas

[@jonathanpicket124]

I live in Houston and take the light rail and busses fairly regularly and many times late at night (after a sporting event downtown, for instance). The issue that you're referring to is easily solved by actually employing someone (decent job added to the local economy) to check tickets rather than just having metro officers standing around at some of the platforms. The light rail has basically become free to use because nobody ever checks if you have a ticket. This is such an easy fix. But, as with anything public transit related, TxDOT simply doesn't want to fix it. They want the light rail to look dirty and unsafe so that fewer people will be willing to use it... because that's what the lobbyists want. Despite that, the light rail is completely packed during morning and evening rush hour as well as before and after games (Rockets, Astros, Dynamo, etc.) downtown. Expanding the light rail, especially to the airport and suburbs, would generate a ridiculous amount of use and go a long way toward alleviating the ridiculous traffic congestion we have here. More rail in many US cities, but especially one like Houston is a no-brainer!

[@kiddadd]

True

[@kiddadd]

​​@@KrishnaAdettiwar no its the agencies.

[@montielh]

Time to modernize Texas!

[@Prakhar2410]

Even India is on track to get a 315 miles long bullet train project in the next 3 years which is faster than US would, the US needs to learn to build and learn to get things done...

[@ganeshakella8835]

High speed rails are a must for the US. The lobbying of airline companies, the gas companies and auto companies has made it difficult

[@Chris-md1cf]

Just build trains in the middle of every highway system like Brightline West. Imagine how many people would stop driving when they see a train go by them at 150+ mph every day on their way to work!

[@speakingofgreg]

Not only would it be a top-tier advertisement, but it would also help avoid expensive right-of-way purchases from private landowners.

[@Chris-md1cf]

@@speakingofgreg Agreed, no use arguing with the woman who wants to protect her farm. Just take two lanes away from the cars. There's still 10+ left for them!

[@SalmanMentos]

But how are we going to build the station? Do we just put platforms and stairs?

[@duramaxadventures5832]

​@@SalmanMentosexactly

[@kiddadd]

No elevate the tracks.

[@thepanamerican892]

I wish they would start between San Antonio and Austin. Start small has always been my philosophy.

[@ericgeorge7874]

Starting with the most commuted line is likely the best.

[@brandonhallam51]

More difficult. Not as many go between the two, there's hills everywhere, has a lot of aquifers and more underneath, would cross multiple major pipelines and the ground is very hard rock and limestone.

[@trekuhl3966]

We in America are so far behind Europe and other countries when it comes to rail and EV infrastructure. It’s critical to help manage the continued growth of American cities and states and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. I traveled this past summer from Paris to London via rail through the Chunnel in a few hours for $150 round trip.

[@PseudoFiction]

what the hell does that lady farm that would be so detrimental if the train ran over it?

[@mnaeseth24]

This would benefit so much on my work. I hate having to drive 4hrs here or 6hrs there. Loosing thousands of dollars depreciation on my cars. This project is a no brainer why it hasn’t lift off ???

[@Muxik4k]

Hope some day this is true. They also don't see the mental health issue that is for drivers to deal with crazy people driving around... Rail is gonna be a game changer for everyone in Texas. Also for the ones who enjoy driving, they will have fewer people on the road.