KXXV--By Simona Barca

"Recently, the [Texas Central Railway] received nearly $64 million in federal funding and partnered with Amtrak — despite this progress, counties along the proposed route, including Grimes County, have expressed concerns about the lack of communication from TCR.

'We’re dealing with so much unknown. We can't make plans, and it's a frustration for our development.'"

Clean Technica--By Jennifer Sensiba

Houston Public Media--By Kyle McClenagan

"Citing the federal budget deficit and the nation's more than $35 trillion in debt, federal affairs advisor to ReRoute the Route, John Sitilides, said the nearly $64 million should be spent on something else.

'Because Texas is not Japan or China or Europe, the Texas Legislature prohibits wasting a single state taxpayer dollar on this boondoggle's severe public hazards,' he said in a statement to Houston Public Media. 'The White House would better spend that $64 million to build or repair schools, hire hundreds of border patrol agents, or deliver health care to thousands of veterans in need.'"

Daily Caller--By Wallace White

“$64M of taxpayer money should not be wasted on a High-Speed Rail project that not only has a negative impact on rural Texas but on all of the United States. In a time of a global food shortage, we cannot allow our farmland to be destroyed, and taxpayer dollars squandered for an unsustainable and unnecessary project like this,” Republican Texas Rep. Jake Ellzey told the DCNF. “I will continue to demand answers about how a foreign entity can lobby our government without complying with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and I will challenge the unrealistic ridership projections of Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Texas Central.”

Newsweek--By Marni Rose McFall

" Kirbie Ferrell... a policy analyst for the Eno Center for Transportation and a native Texan... noted that a lot of Texans have responded to high-speed rail with concerns that their land and property will be infringed upon.

'Texas has this philosophy of private property, protecting your property, property that's been in families for generations," she said. "I would say that's the root of it. Texans protect their property.'"

Daily Mail—By Ishita Srivastava

“Squatters taking over dozens of unoccupied properties have left Texas homeowners feeling overwhelmed with safety concerns.

The Texas Central Railway, in the past four years, has bought about 41 houses in White Oak Falls with the intention to raze them and use the land to build a high-speed railway that would run between Dallas and Houston.

But longtime residents of the area have revealed that instead of being bulldozed, these multi-bedroom homes have been taken over by squatters.”

KPRC2— By Joel Eisenbaum and Jon Hill

“Texas Central Railway bought that home and others with an eye on eventually removing the structures to make way for the right-of-way needed for the high-speed train project.

But many of the purchased houses have fallen into disrepair, and squatters have moved into the homes, sometimes, without electricity, according to neighbors.

“I don’t feel safe for my family, for my grandkids, not even for myself,” said Maria Arzola, a 17-year resident of White Oak Falls.”

Houston Press-- By Dianna Wray

“Texas Central allegedly has yet to pay its 2023 taxes for properties held in 10 counties, the group has gleefully announced, a move – or lack thereof – that has resulted in the company owing more than $956,000 across the counties that may one day have the highspeed rail line running through, due by July 1. Clocking in at a property tax bill of about $224,000, Harris County is owed the largest chunk.”

Houston Chronicle— By Janet Miranda

"Amtrak does not pay any property taxes. Let us not forget what was represented to be a 'privately-financed project' was supposed to produce millions of dollars in tax revenue for impacted counties, but if Amtrak takes this project, it actually becomes a huge loss of tax revenue," [Waller County Judge Trey Duhon] said.

The Texan— By Kim Roberts

“Lawsuits have been filed against Texas Central in Freestone, Limestone, Grimes, Madison, Navarro, and Ellis counties based on Texas Tax Code §33.41, which allows a taxing entity to file the suit for the delinquent taxes.”

Route Fifty— By Daniel C. Vock

“Andy Byford, the director of high-speed rail for Amtrak, said that the passenger rail service plans to push for more high-speed rail projects, such as a project to connect Houston and Dallas in Texas that it recently took over.

‘Amtrak intends, as the national operator of America’s railroad, to truly push this thing forward, irrespective of who’s in the White House,’ Byford said.”

KBTX 3 News— By Donnie Tuggle

“Texas Central Railway, the company behind the proposed Dallas to Houston 240-mile high-speed rail project, is facing legal action from multiple counties over nearly $850,000 in unpaid property taxes.

‘We were promised TCR [Texas Central Railway] would be good neighbors and substantial tax payers…neither is true.’”

The Texas Tribune—By Joshua Fechter

“The state’s booming population, congestion problems and billions of federal dollars on the table have officials eyeing ways to boost passenger rail.”

AM Greatness— By Edward Ring

“Proponents of the Texas bullet train boondoggle are claiming their system will reduce travel time from Dallas to Houston to 90 minutes. This is profoundly misleading because they are proposing to build the stations for these trains in suburbs disconnected from the downtown areas. These new stations aren’t even planned to be located near the major airports serving these cities. And while proponents boast that the “average speed” of these trains will reach 187 miles per hour, that doesn’t take into account the time required to get from downtown to the remote stations.”

ABC News— By Jay O’Brien

The "California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) still has not completed a single segment of the system, the total estimated cost has ballooned to $128 billion and counting, and there is no expected completion date," according to the letter from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

The New York Times— By Keith Bradsher

“Raising rail fares is a fraught political issue in China. The bullet trains are a symbol of the country’s capacity to build infrastructure, often even before there is consumer demand for it. But that infrastructure has been paid for with enormous borrowing, which has reached $870 billion just for China State Railway Group, the state-owned enterprise that runs the rail network. But hundreds of smaller cities and towns have built large stations, even if they have as few as one train a day. China State Railway invested another $108 billion last year in further expansion, much of it to connect outlying areas. Yet it reported operating profits of only $470 million, leaving it with little money to pay down debt.”

Houston Public Media— By Adam Zuvanich

John Sitilides, a Washington D.C.- based federal affairs advisor for ReRoute the Route, comments on Amtrak’s mixed messaging in regard to their partnership with Texas Central, as well as the project’s many flaws, including the potential impacts on minority communities and conflicts with existing railways, as well as “the fact that the planed stations in Houston and Dallas are not close to the airports in those regions…”

“[Amtrak] should be pursuing high-speed projects in other parts of the United States where the topography, the geography and the culture work in favor of high-speed rail”—John Sitilides

Houston Public Media— By By Adam Zuvanich and Pablo Arauz Pena, KERA

“Despite evidence that continues to show that the California High Speed Rail project has critical issues indicating there is no reasonable path forward for successful completion of the project… the Biden administration continues to allocate substantial federal taxpayer dollars to this highly questionable endeavor”

Austin American-Statesman— By Brandi D. Addison

“One Dallas-based farmer told CNBC that he struggles to sleep at night worrying that the high-speed rail could pass through his property. “When I was notified by my nephew through an article about eminent domain, I was absolutely shocked,” Jody Berry said in the interview. “Finding out that the high-speed rail could potentially go through our property has made it very difficult for me to sleep." Berry's family has operated Morney-Berry Farms, which sits along the route, for several generations.”

KBTX— By Donnie Tuggle

$500,000 of federal taxpayer dollars is being drained on the Dallas-to-Houston line as Amtrak explores the viability of the project, despite Andy Byford being quoted as saying “having a viable project and having the funding and political assent to proceed with the project are two different things.”

CNBC--By Carlos Waters and Jeniece Pettitt

In 2014, Texas Central announced plans to connect Dallas to Houston with a bullet train that travels more than 200 mph, shortening a 3.5-hour drive to a 90-minute train ride. But little progress has been made and pushback from some locals has been fierce. Last year, Amtrak announced it was partnering with Texas Central to potentially revive the effort. CNBC explores why there has been a long battle in the state over high-speed rail and whether Amtrak can finally bring a bullet train to Texas.

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].”

U.S Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs

$500,000 was awarded to Amtrak through “Corridor ID, a new planning program made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” to continue exploring a partnership with Texas Central and the viability of the high-speed rail service between Dallas and Houston

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.

Amtrak Media Relations

The proposed route from Texas Central and now Amtrak doesn’t fall under a “dedicated and purpose-built right of way” because the terminals are at least 30 minutes outside of Dallas and Houston downtowns and private property is trampled through, destroying residences and generational ranches and farms.

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…”

Reason Foundation— By Baruch Feigenbaum

“Texas Central’s vision for its project did not match with he realities on the ground.”

The company’s financial difficulties due to swelling costs in the billons and tax delinquency in several counties, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to sign off on the preferred station in downtown Houston, has hindered Texas Central’s ability to start construction on the Dallas-Houston project.

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.

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.”