News

December 12, 2008

Media contact: John Egan
Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
512-472-9599
jegan@echristianpr.com

AUSTIN, Texas—The Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association, a coalition of transportation advocates, on Dec. 4 kicked off its Rail Relo Now! campaign, aimed at obtaining funds for improvement of the state’s transportation system by relocating freight rail lines out of densely populated urban areas throughout Texas.

During the Texas Legislature’s 2009 session, which starts in January, the coalition will recommend various options for funding that would enable relocation and improvement of freight rail lines around the state. The funding would create a revenue stream that could leverage billions of dollars in bonding authority to improve transportation safety, ease traffic congestion at hundreds of railroad crossings around the state, increase the capacity of the state’s freight rail network and shift more of the state’s ever-growing truck freight load to improved rail lines.

Texas voters already have passed a constitutional amendment establishing the Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund to finance relocation and improvement projects. However, even though the amendment was approved in 2005, state lawmakers have not yet dedicated any dollars for the fund.

“The Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association believes that rail must be a key component of the overall solution to the state’s transportation challenges. Our state cannot simply build more and more roads without rail being incorporated into transportation plans across the state,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, co-chairman of the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association, said. “A safe and efficient transportation system is vital for the economic progress of Texas.”

Other co-chairmen of the association are former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Fort Worth City Councilman Jungus Jordan.

Rail relocation efforts that could be financed with money from the Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund may include projects in Austin, Brownsville, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, South Texas and San Antonio.

Among the statewide public and private supporters of rail relocation and improvement are the City of Austin, Bexar County, the Borderland Mobility Coalition, the City of College Station, Comal County, Denton County, the East Texas Corridor Council, Ector County, the City of El Paso, the City of Georgetown, Harris County, Harrison County, Hays County, Montgomery County, the City of Nacogdoches, the Real Estate Council of Austin, the City of San Marcos, Travis County, the City of Victoria and Williamson County.

Benefits of rail relocation include:

• Less highway congestion. Relocating freight rail lines would allow passenger trains to take over the old tracks, thereby removing cars from already crowded roads and reducing air pollution. At last count, motorists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area waste 58 hours in traffic each year, with Houston at 56 hours, Austin at 49, San Antonio at 39 and El Paso at 24. Furthermore, an updated freight rail system would mean more shipments by rail and fewer big rigs carrying cargo on our highways.
• More economic opportunities. By relocating rail lines away from densely populated areas, freight—including $900 billion a year in NAFTA-related goods—could move more quickly, efficiently and safely, giving Texas an even bigger edge in national and international trade. Federal studies show freight rail is five times more fuel-efficient and pollutes one-third less than comparable goods moving by truck.
• Fewer accidents at railroad crossings. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, 295 accidents occurred at railroad crossings across Texas in 2007, resulting in 34 deaths and 140 injuries. Texas ranks first in the nation for injuries caused by train accidents. Moving freight rail lines away from heavily congested urban areas would help lower these numbers.
• Reduced maintenance costs. Diverting freight traffic from roads to rails would cut maintenance expenses for highways across the state, and would free that money for other critical transportation needs.
• Greater opportunities for passenger rail. A 2004 report by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute found that U.S. cities with large, well-established rail systems benefit economically. The report indicated that in Texas, every $1 million spent on a passenger rail system resulted in an estimated $2 million regional economic impact.

“Our current rail system threatens to derail the Texas economy,” Bruce Todd, executive director of the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association, said. Todd is former mayor of Austin and a former Travis County commissioner. “Clogged or insufficient freight rail lines are preventing rail carriers from efficiently shipping goods. We need to put the brakes on the potential for lost business opportunities due to our inadequate freight rail system.”

For more information, visit www.railrelo.org.

###

About the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association
The Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association is a statewide coalition of municipal, county and state elected officials, as well as groups and concerned Texans, who are interested in improving transportation throughout the state. Rail Relo NOW! is an initiative of the association aimed at obtaining state funding for relocation and improvement of freight rail lines around Texas.