HOUSTON — A judge sided with Texas landowners who pushed back against the prospect of being forced to sell their land for a proposed high-speed rail line connecting Houston and Dallas.
- Judge sides with landowners over high-speed rail
- Would have owners forced to sell land for bullet train
- Train between 2 cities in 90 min, estimated cost $12 billion
Leon County Judge Deborah Evans ruled this month that Texas Central Railway doesn't have the authority to force landowners to sell or provide access to their properties for its planned 200-mph bullet train, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The ruling centers on whether the company is a railroad, which backers say entitles them to access property through eminent domain. The privately funded project would use Japanese bullet trains to transport riders between the two cities in 90 minutes, and the estimated cost is $12 billion to $15 billion.
"Texas has long allowed survey access by railroads like Texas Central, pipelines, electrical lines and other industries that provide for a public good and a strong economy," the company said.
But opponents insisted that the company is ineligible for such access because it doesn't yet operate a railroad or own trains.
"Simply self-declaring that you are a railroad . does not make it so," said Kyle Workman, a founder of the group Texans Against High-Speed Rail.
Evans agreed in her ruling this month that Texas Central and another company it formed "are not a railroad or interurban electric company."