June 24, 2019 - TRA Newswire -
In what has been described as a positive step for Texas Central Railway, the Surface Transportation Board has granted the high-speed railroad company a chance to come back with additional documentation showing that they are engaged in interstate commerce following agreements with Amtrak for through-ticketing agreements across their entire national network.
Texas Central is the private company building a high-speed rail line between North Texas and Houston. The STB decision, which was released on June 22, allows TCR a short time frame to submit "specific additional information that would assist the Board in considering Texas Central's petition to reopen the original case which found that a proposed rail line which operated entirely within the state of Texas would not be subject to STB approval."
Texas Rail Advocates Director Karl Ziebarth, who has been following the case, said that "this is a partial victory for TCR. However, the information request laid on TC looks pretty onerous, given the very short response date (22 July). All in all we should treat it as a positive step toward obtaining STB authorization".
In May 2018 TCR filed a petition to reopen the proceedings alleging that "substantially changed circumstances would materially affected the Board's decision". Numerous parties, as well as several federal and state officials, filed comments in support of and in opposition to Texas Central's project or petition to reopen the docket. Texas Rail Advocates, Rail Passengers Association and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) filed comments in support of reopening the docket.
In support of Texas Central's petition, Amtrak asserted that the through ticketing arrangement with Texas Central would benefit Amtrak and it's passengers by expanding the scope of its national network and "fill a major missing link in Amtrak's national network: the Dallas / Fort Worth to Houston corridor."
The STB request for supplemental information includes projections for annual passenger transfers between Amtrak and Texas Central, details of the physical connections at Dallas and Houston including frequency and wait times, case law on through-ticketing agreements and if the "proposed transfer service is similar to transfer, transload or similar activities in the freight context that are, in some circumstances, subject to the Board's jurisdiction."
Texas Central' is directed to provide the supplemental information to the Surface Transportation Board by July 22.
(STB Docket #FD 36025)
In what has been described as a positive step for Texas Central Railway, the Surface Transportation Board has granted the high-speed railroad company a chance to come back with additional documentation showing that they are engaged in interstate commerce following agreements with Amtrak for through-ticketing agreements across their entire national network.
Texas Central is the private company building a high-speed rail line between North Texas and Houston. The STB decision, which was released on June 22, allows TCR a short time frame to submit "specific additional information that would assist the Board in considering Texas Central's petition to reopen the original case which found that a proposed rail line which operated entirely within the state of Texas would not be subject to STB approval."
Texas Rail Advocates Director Karl Ziebarth, who has been following the case, said that "this is a partial victory for TCR. However, the information request laid on TC looks pretty onerous, given the very short response date (22 July). All in all we should treat it as a positive step toward obtaining STB authorization".
In May 2018 TCR filed a petition to reopen the proceedings alleging that "substantially changed circumstances would materially affected the Board's decision". Numerous parties, as well as several federal and state officials, filed comments in support of and in opposition to Texas Central's project or petition to reopen the docket. Texas Rail Advocates, Rail Passengers Association and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) filed comments in support of reopening the docket.
In support of Texas Central's petition, Amtrak asserted that the through ticketing arrangement with Texas Central would benefit Amtrak and it's passengers by expanding the scope of its national network and "fill a major missing link in Amtrak's national network: the Dallas / Fort Worth to Houston corridor."
The STB request for supplemental information includes projections for annual passenger transfers between Amtrak and Texas Central, details of the physical connections at Dallas and Houston including frequency and wait times, case law on through-ticketing agreements and if the "proposed transfer service is similar to transfer, transload or similar activities in the freight context that are, in some circumstances, subject to the Board's jurisdiction."
Texas Central' is directed to provide the supplemental information to the Surface Transportation Board by July 22.
(STB Docket #FD 36025)