- #TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE INSTALL#
- #TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE CODE#
- #TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE TRIAL#
An appeals court reversed and ruled in favor of the company, leading Miles to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.ĭuring Tuesday’s hearing, the landowner's attorney Jeffrey Levinger reiterated to the state high court his client's assertion that Texas Central is not a railroad company and brought into question the company’s interpretation of the transportation code.
#TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE TRIAL#
The trial court ruled against Texas Central, finding it is not a railroad company and could not survey or procure Miles’ land.
#TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE CODE#
Texas Central filed a counterclaim, seeking a declaration that it qualifies as an electric railroad company under the transportation code and is therefore entitled to the use of eminent domain for its project. According to Miles' complaint, the transportation code does not address whether high-speed electric rail builders are included in the state's understanding of a railroad company. Under state law, private railroad companies may use eminent domain to procure up to a 200-foot wide strip of land for the development of a railroad track. Miles argues Texas Central is not a railroad company, citing a section of the Texas Transportation Code that says an entity must have established tracks and currently running rail services to qualify as a railroad company. That power can be extended to private firms like railroad, telephone and electric companies. Miles sued the company, seeking a court order barring it from trying to seize his land via eminent domain, which gives the government power to take private property for public use. The proposed route of the railway would run through Miles’ 600-acre property. The dispute began in 2015, when James Miles, a property owner in Leon County, Texas, refused to allow Texas Central Railroad and Infrastructure to survey his land for the company's project to build a high-speed rail line from Houston to Dallas.
include the Central Subway tunnel in San Francisco and the LYNX Blue Line Extension in Charlotte, North Carolina.AUSTIN, Texas (CN) - The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case concerning whether a company attempting to build a high-speed train in the Lone Star State has the right to use eminent domain to take private property. Webuild was created when Salini merged with Impregilo in 2014, followed by Lane and, more recently, Astaldi to create the Webuild Group. The Texas Central contract brings the value of construction orders in the Milan-based firm's backlog from the United States to 35%. Other Webuild rail projects in the U.S. He asked lawmakers to ensure the project is not funded with taxpayer dollars. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last month, saying that the current estimated costs of the project are much higher than previously projected, and Texas Central has only secured a small portion of private funding. The $1.6 billion contract includes critical safety and systems elements like traction power, signaling and communications equipment.ĭespite the selection of contractors, some local and state officials have fought against the project, and some landowners have questioned the private company's ability to acquire rights to build on their property.įor instance, Waller County Judge Trey Duhon testified virtually before the U.S.
#TEXAS HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE INSTALL#
Electric to install the project's core electrical systems. Last month, Texas Central tapped Kiewit and affiliate Mass. A major part of the railway will be elevated in order to reduce the impact that the infrastructure will have on residents and landowners of the counties through which the railway will pass. Webuild and Lane will oversee the civil engineering work, which entails the design and construction of the 236 miles of railway, the viaducts, as well as the buildings and services for maintenance and other equipment, industrial buildings, train depots and facilities.