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  #61  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2015, 5:53 AM
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I thought Texas was supposed to be all about business taking the initiative, not about the government putting more hurdles in their way.
Texas is, but everyone has NIMBYs, including Texas.
As for that bill, only Dallas, Houston, and their suburbs are cities that the HSR will run through. And when the counties and school districts see what the property taxes will be annually from a HSR, their opposition will drop quickly.

The HSR qualifies, just as a railroad within the Texas Transportation Code, to get eminent domain powers. It doesn't matter what type transportation mode it is; waterway, highway, airway, or railway; private or public. They will still have to go to court and all the legal steps to get a judge to approve it, usually the only issue is arriving at the honest value for the land. TXDOT wants it to happen. The Electric Utilities already have easements to the property in question for their power lines. Technically, that's all the railroad will need, if they build an elevated railroad guideway over your property. The farmer or ranchers will still own the land, and can access the other side of the tracks simply by driving under the viaducts. Not every farmer or rancher will oppose selling easements away, money talks!

The railroad following US 290 out of Houston to the northwest is absolutely straight for 50 miles or so, then there would be a curve to head north around the Harris County line, where the power line is absolutely straight 50 miles or so to Jewett Texas, where the train will maneuver around a few lignite mines and power plant, then head north again absolutely straight 50 miles or so until entering Ellis County, with a few right and left turns the last 50 miles or so into Dallas County and Dallas. Every one of those 50 mile segments lasts 15 minutes or so at 200 mph.

Last edited by electricron; Apr 10, 2015 at 6:12 AM.
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  #62  
Old Posted Apr 10, 2015, 3:13 PM
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So it w shouldn't be much of an issue in the rural areas, but mainly around Dallas and Houston.
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  #63  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2015, 1:52 PM
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I think if they choose the I-45 option, they should put at stop at The Woodlands. It would be a huge ridership generator.
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  #64  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2015, 4:54 PM
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I think if they choose the I-45 option, they should put at stop at The Woodlands. It would be a huge ridership generator.
How can an I-45 routing help ridership when the HSR train will not have any stations between Dallas and Houston? At best, they're proposing maybe one intermediate station on SH 30 halfway between College Station and Huntsville, potentially attracting customers from both I-45 and SH-6.
While the environmental study hasn't been completed and the routing hasn't been officially verified,Texas Central has already stated its preference of the Utility corridor. So I suggest the I-45 routing is dead for all practical purposes.

Last edited by electricron; Apr 14, 2015 at 5:32 PM.
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  #65  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2015, 5:21 PM
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How can an I-45 routing help ridership when the HSR train will not any stations between Dallas and Houston? At best, they're proposing maybe one intermediate station on SH 30 halfway between College Station and Huntsville, potentially attracting customers from both I-45 and SH-6.
While the environmental study hasn't been completed and the routing hasn't been officially verified,Texas Central has already stated its preference of the Utility corridor. So I suggest the I-45 routing is dead for all practical purposes.
?

I'm not following but either-way, a Woodlands stop would be a no-brainer; the airport, prosperous bustling area, etc.
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  #66  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2015, 5:29 PM
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?
I'm not following but either-way, a Woodlands stop would be a no-brainer; the airport, prosperous bustling area, etc.
For commuter rail yes, but not for HSR!!!!
Does Woodlands provide Houston's Metro any tax revenues?
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  #67  
Old Posted Apr 16, 2015, 7:32 PM
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Meet the Opposition to Texas High-Speed Rail

Read More: http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015...d-rail/390576/

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.....

With the project advancing toward route selection and environmental review, an intense opposition has emerged. It's taken the form of anti-HSR groups (e.g. No Texas Central and Texans Against High Speed Rail), local legislation designed to stop the project, packed and panicked community meetings, and pleas for Congressional representatives to block any applications made by Texas Central to the Surface Transportation Board.

- One state representative who opposes the project has proposed a bill that "would require the elected officials of every city and county along the route to approve the project," reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.* With the train running through some heavily rural areas, such a law would create an enormous challenge if passed. At the moment the bill has been sent to a legislative committee.

- The champion of the bill, Will Metcalf, has given several reasons for opposing the plan. But one of his statements makes clear that he just doesn't see trains as a viable transportation alternative. --- "We need more roads for citizens to travel to ease our existing roadways,” Metcalf said. "We do not need a high-speed railway in Texas that will only benefit a few, while at the same time disturbing thousands of citizens within its path.”

- Metcalf isn't alone in this sentiment. Another elected official, Ben Lehman of Grimes County, has questioned whether the train will attract enough riders. He's also been quoted as saying that the 18 million people who drive between Houston and Dallas each year have "gone through this decision-making process" and concluded "it's more feasible to drive."

- Fears of misused eminent domain are both valid and welcomed in any democratic setting. But what's strange here is that the bill targets high-speed rail despite the fact that lots of private firms in Texas can wield eminent domain for the greater public good; via the Tribune: --- Currently, hundreds of private firms have eminent domain authority in Texas, including pipeline companies, utility companies and telecommunication firms. More than a dozen private railroad companies also have that authority, according to an unofficial list maintained by the state comptroller.

- The CEO of Texas Central reportedly asked at a recent hearing that his railway not be punished "just because it goes faster than other trains." And the company has given every indication that it would use this power judiciously. It reportedly won't auction off unused land (as California has done), and it's also planning to use its private pockets to compensate landowners generously.

- Which leads to the final major criticism of the privately funded Texas Central plan: that it won't actually be privately funded. Or, rather, that it will start out privately funded but fail to meet its ridership goals and call on the public for a subsidy. Here's HSR opponent Kyle Workman making that case, via the Courier of Montgomery County: --- “There are no profitable high-speed rail lines in the world,” Workman said. “They are all heavily taxpayer supported.”

- For the record, though, there are lots of profitable high-speed rail lines in the world. If you count Acela, which easily covers its operating costs through fares, there's even one right in the United States. --- So that's the latest from Texas. It may be impossible for any mega-project—privately funded or not—to escape the type of pushback mounting against the Dallas-Houston HSR plan. And again, the democratic process not only allows but encourages this sort of scrutiny. It also works best when each side makes its case on the best possible facts, rather than the worst possible fears.

.....








http://www.texansagainsthsr.com/#sthash.tViSCFI0.dpbs



What are we doing to oppose high-speed rail in Texas?

- Working with legislators and other elected officials directly and through our lobbyist to support the creation and passage of legislation to oppose high-speed rail in Texas.

- Hosting meetings throughout the state to increase awareness and raise funds to support this effort.

- Making grassroots efforts easier by providing sample letters and the ease of sending letters directly from our website, as well as utilizing social media to keep you informed and engaged in the high-speed rail opposition conversation.
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  #68  
Old Posted Apr 16, 2015, 8:02 PM
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I don't get it. Anyone can yet count 5 metro areas that should be slashing Texas's face with HSR lines already. Houston, San Antonio, Dallas Fort Worth, Austin and maybe even el Paso. What would they wait for any longer to make business faster within their own state?

“There are no profitable high-speed rail lines in the world,” Workman said. “They are all heavily taxpayer supported.”

Definitely, it's still pretty expensive. But even though it's complex, they should try assessing indirect benefits. Sometimes, it may well be worth paying taxes...

Makes me thinking, the Europeans always made the same mistake in the space industry. That's how we never funded any Euro space shuttle, while easily able to develop some. The indirect research and tech benefits would be significant to the entire continent. It just takes a little feeling about strategy to understand.
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  #69  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 1:50 AM
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I don't get it. Anyone can yet count 5 metro areas that should be slashing Texas's face with HSR lines already. Houston, San Antonio, Dallas Fort Worth, Austin and maybe even el Paso. What would they wait for any longer to make business faster within their own state?
I'm not sure business is really made faster by a train like this. Technology like video conferencing has drastically reduced the need for business travel. I would assume this would be used far more for personal travel.

I do wonder about the economics though. Things like bad weather and clogged freeways make trains in the NorthEast seem like a relatively better idea. However, building anything in the NorthEast is so insanely expensive that the price would seem to counterbalance any sort of improved utility. Questions like these are no reason for politicians to get involved though. If private investors lose their ass on this project, that's their problem not the governments.
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  #70  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 2:55 AM
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Why would anyone be against high speed rail, especially a privately funded one at that?!

Boggles my mind, sigh.
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  #71  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 3:10 AM
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Why would anyone be against high speed rail, especially a privately funded one at that?!

Boggles my mind, sigh.
Because it is Tejas, where the most patriotic thing you can do is consume as much oil as possible. Also, everyone knows only those pinko socialist Europeans ride trains.
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  #72  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 3:28 AM
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Technology like video conferencing has drastically reduced the need for business travel.
Unfortunately, no. Certainly not. Sorry, but you can't always be convincing enough online. Do you have any experience about this? People still have to see you for real. They need to see your very physiognomy, the way you move, your actual tone while facing them, just your everything about your work. They simply still need to actually see you to remain confident.

What do you think? Remote work hardly works for 3 days a week for now within greater Paris alone. Are you seriously thinking greater Paris is late on that matter? Uhh, no. It is way larger than you would ever thought of it, sprawling like any random US crazy ass. Of course, people won't always trust in you online. Sometimes they will, but not always. And they are right about that.

In short, develop HRS in Texas, if you want it to survive somehow. Cause this real world will have no mercy.
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  #73  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 4:14 AM
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Unfortunately, no. Certainly not. Sorry, but you can't always be convincing enough online. Do you have any experience about this? People still have to see you for real. They need to see your very physiognomy, the way you move, your actual tone while facing them, just your everything about your work. They simply still need to actually see you to remain confident.
Only in fluff jobs where people don't have any technical knowledge and make judgments based on how attractive a salesman is. I've been on hundreds of conference calls and driven to a different office maybe 5 times in my life. I guess that's the difference between being an engineer (and having people evaluate your technical knowledge) and being a salesman (and having people evaluate you on your looks and fashion). I've had dozens of teleconferences with people in Houston about oil refineries we were working on and I'd assume given the nature of Texas as an oil industry state they would be more focused on technical performance. This isn't DC-NYC where your big jobs are government lobbying and finance.
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  #74  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 4:58 AM
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^ No. It's far from being that simple, even for an actual engineer. Believe it. BTW, what the hell does "being good looking" or attractive or whatever mean? Are you raving? You're a complexed victim? It means nothing much to my butt so long as you're neither too fat nor too anorexic like a fashion victim.
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the nature of Texas as an oil industry state they would be more focused on technical performance.
Hm, yeah, they are panicking for sure. They're going mad, huh? Even folks from neighboring Louisiana don't like them anymore.

You're wasting your skills.
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  #75  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 5:16 AM
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^ No. It's far from being that simple, even for an actual engineer. Believe it. BTW, what the hell does "being good looking" or attractive or whatever mean? Are you raving? You're a complexed victim? It means nothing much to my butt so long as you're neither too fat nor too anorexic like a fashion victim.
Studies have consistently showing that more attractive individuals do considerably better in sales. But the real point is what is gained seeing a person face to face that isn't gained from a phone or computer except for evaluating their looks? It doesn't really matter though, the economics of projects isn't really what this forum is about.

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Hm, yeah, they are panicking for sure. They're going mad, huh? Even folks from neighboring Louisiana don't like them anymore.
Are you high?
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  #76  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 2:45 PM
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Why would anyone be against high speed rail, especially a privately funded one at that?!

Boggles my mind, sigh.
The same thing it's always about: property.
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  #77  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 5:13 PM
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The same property that expanding or building new highways would use?
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  #78  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 6:17 PM
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The same property that expanding or building new highways would use?
Or the same property that building the pipeline made with Brazilian steel to export Canadian oil to consumers in Europe and Asia would use?
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  #79  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2015, 7:08 PM
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Watch and Weep

YouTube clip of anti-HSR Nimby's.
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  #80  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2015, 12:27 PM
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hahahahaha wow
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