Texas Central praises court ruling declaring it a railroad

(Source: Progressive Railroading 05/08/2020)

Texas Central officials yesterday hailed a Texas Appeals Court ruling yesterday that determined the bullet-train company is a both a railroad and an interurban electric railway.

The company is developing a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas. Yesterday’s court decision stems from a legal challenge from landowners along the route in Leon County who argued that Texas Central was not a railroad and therefore did not have the rights associated with a railroad, including eminent domain and access to property for surveyors.

The court’s ruling is rooted in state law that allows survey access and use of eminent domain by railroads, pipelines, electrical lines and other industries that provide for the public good, said Texas Central Chief Executive Officer Carlos Aguilar in a press release.

“This decision confirms our status as an operating railroad and allows us to continue moving forward with our permitting process and all of our other design, engineering and land acquisition efforts,” Aguilar said.

In 2019, the company completed a portion of the land surveys required by federal agencies conducting the environmental review of the proposed project, Texas Central officials said. The Federal Railroad Administration is scheduled to issue the final environmental impact statement on the project later this month.