Free Republic

Driving down to Austin lately has become a real trip. I-35 is usually packed for most of the 185 miles, and what used to take three or four hours now can take five or six. Flying down can take almost as long, when you figure in airline security delays, more flight delays, and the time it takes getting into and out of crowded airports. But what if it took 45 minutes to travel from the Metroplex to Austin by train or an hour to make a trip to Houston? Advocates of high-speed rail lines are floating these ideas once again...

Could high-speed rail service with a stop in the Hillsboro area be a reality by 2020? That is the goal set by the Texas High-Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation (THSRTC) following the final planning and design charrette in Fort Worth. The charrette preceded the 10th annual Transportation Summit held in Irving Tuesday through Friday, August 7-10. THSRTC board members met in Houston in May at the Continental Airlines headquarters for the first of the charrettes. Attending were eight international suppliers of high-speed rail for nine different systems in France, Germany, Korea and Spain. In addition, 14 consulting firms of varying...

A company was selected Thursday to develop a system so that motorists can pay their way on Trans-Texas Corridor toll roads without stopping at a booth. Meeting in Austin, the Texas Transportation Commission selected Raytheon Co. as the prime contractor for the system. The first leg of Trans-Texas is a planned toll road that would be an alternative to Interstate 35 from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio. Construction is expected to be under way by 2007 and be completed by 2015. Eventually, toll roads, rail lines and utilities would crisscross the state, according to Gov. Rick Perry's vision of Trans-Texas....

MARSHALL – The U.S. House of Representatives has allotted $1.5 billion to build the Interstate 69 Trans-Texas Corridor project, and I-69 Alliance Chairman Robert Eckels believes the corridor will be built within the next 10 years. Eckels, who is also Harris County judge, spoke Wednesday at an alliance meeting in Marshall. He said about $40 million has already been allotted to the project for this fiscal year to pay for design studies. Texas legislators have also asked for an additional $55 million to be included the House Transportation Appropriations bill for the corridor. The U.S. Senate has not voted on...