Texas lawmaker seeks state funds for Austin-San Antonio high-speed rail

Political pressure for a high-speed rail line between Austin and San Antonio is gaining steam again, this time with Texas State Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin, shoveling coal into the engine.

Bucy pre-filed two transit-oriented bills earlier this month. The first, House Bill 483, requires the Texas Department of Transportation to enter into a public-private agreement with a contractor to build a rail line connecting Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. The other bill, HB 542, would allow TxDOT to allocate state highway funds toward transit-oriented projects.

Bucy’s bills come as the Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Board Committee (TPRABC) continues to hold monthly meetings to discuss the feasibility of a rail project connecting the Alamo City and Austin.

TPRABC assembled in March after lobbying from grassroots pro-transit groups San Antonians for Rail Transit and RESTART Lone Star Rail District.

Members of the committee, including Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and San Antonio District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, met aboard an Amtrak train in September to demonstrate the importance of reliable rail.

Despite Bucy’s bills and the creation of the TPRABC, the odds of a rail network connecting the two cities remain are small, according to transportation experts.

The now-defunct Texas Lone Star Rail District, an entity remarkably similar to the Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, extensively explored idea of building a line between San Antonio and Austin. However, that fizzled in 2016 after Union Pacific refused to give up rights to existing rail line between the two cities.

The project also appears likely to face federal headwinds.

President Joe Biden’s administration doled out federal funds for transit-oriented projects under his Build Back Better plan, but the incoming Trump Administration appears far less enthusiastic about expanding rail service.

Still, folks sitting in traffic on I-35 can dream.

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This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.