According to MySanAntonio.com the statement read “The FRA’s failure to include the Travis-Bexar County corridor is a significant missed opportunity to support responsible growth and investment across Central Texas,” Brown said in the statement. “We live in one of the most dynamic and booming regions in the world without passenger rail. We will work closely with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to make this a priority for the next round of investments.”

This isn’t the first federal action to snub the greater San Antonio-Austin metro area either, as the joint statement sent out by Sakai’s office says the FRA designated five corridors as priorities for railway expansion in Texas, and the I-35 corridor wasn’t mentioned. According to the press release, the Travis-Bexar County “super-region” houses upwards of 5 million people which officials project will jump to 8 million in the next 30 years.

“The FRA excluding our super-region is a setback, and we are determined to make this a priority and work as a mega-corridor with our Metropolitan Planning Organizations and stakeholders to make sure we don’t miss the next round of funding,” Sakai said. “We must do more to meet the demands of our time and address the key challenges we face as on of the fastest growing communities in the nation and improve transit with passenger rail in Central Texas.”

The I-35 Lone Star Rail Corridor was the only one of three corridors that did not receive a planning grant when the Texas Department of Transportation petitioned for consideration in a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration earlier this year.