The city of Houston and Texas Central Partners signed an MOU this week that details how some of the work on the high-speed rail project will proceed.
"Backers of a Texas high-speed rail line on Thursday announced for the second time this week what they called significant progress on the controversial line, inking an agreement with Houston officials, detailing the work to come," reports Dug Begley.
Houston and Texas Central Partners entered a memorandum of understanding, "which commits both sides to share environmental surveys, utility analysis and engineering related to the project and surrounding area and work together to develop new transit and other travel options to and from the likely terminus of the bullet train line."
The article includes a lot more detail on the plan for the line around the city of Houston, and reiterates the nature of the project's public-private partnership. As Begley hinted in the first quote above, Texas Central Partners also announced this week the selection of Irving-based Fluor Enterprises and The Lane Construction Corporation, based in Connecticut, for planning and engineering work on the project. Begley reported on that announcement in an earlier article, also including reasons for concern about the viability of the project having mostly do to with Texas Central Partners' lack of eminent domain authority.
FULL STORY: Houston backs bullet train, inks deal to help progress
Texans Against High-Speed Rail Begin to Flex Legal Muscle
Opposition to the Dallas-to-Houston private Texas Central high-speed rail line has gotten more serious with the creation of a defense fund to assist property owners in protecting their property rights. Texas Central plans to break ground next year.
Will Texas High-Speed Rail Become a Reality?
A proposed Houston-to-Dallas rail line shows promise, but faces major hurdles before it can come to fruition.
Texas Supreme Court Approves Eminent Domain for Bullet Train
In a decision that could change the calculus on a beleaguered high-speed rail project, the state’s highest court rules that the railroad has the right to acquire land along the project route.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Museum of Public Housing Opens in Chicago
The museum highlights the history of public housing in the United States using displays intimately woven with family artifacts.
HUD Ordered to Release Grant Funds After Anti-DEI Clawback
A federal judge ruled in favor of fair housing groups after the Trump administration tried to rescind housing grants.
Drop in Veteran Homelessness Offers Lessons
Bipartisan support, robust funding, and access to comprehensive data are keys to the success of programs that assist unhoused veterans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland