Passenger Rail, the Texas Way

Depressed about the Rail Runner? You’re not alone. New Mexico’s taxpayer-ripoff train wastes tens of millions of dollars a year, and in the middle of the next decade, $112 million in balloon payments will be due.

To our east, an intriguing plan to link Dallas and Houston by rail is underway. Texas Central Partners is working with Central Japan Railway Company, which operates 323 trains a day between Osaka and Tokyo, to cut the travel time between the Lone Star State’s two largest metro regions from several hours to 90 minutes.

Earlier this week, “Middle Class Joe” was in Texas, and praised the bullet-train proposal as leading “this country into an entire new era of transportation.”

But unlike the vice president’s beloved Amtrak, the Texas line will be run by “a privately funded company,” and is “not backed by public funds.”

There are many obstacles for Texas Central Partners to get past before its proposal becomes a reality. No matter what the outcome, though, taxpayers won’t be on the hook for its expenditures.

Once again, Texas is leading the way on pro-growth, pro-taxpayer, pro-freedom public policies. When will elected officials in New Mexico notice?