June 2, 2025 - TRA Austin - The Texas House and Senate have both given the nod to a grant program for the 50-some Texas short line railroads and the legislation to make it a reality has been sent to Governor...

June 1, 2025 - TRA Austin -The sharp knives that were out to gut public transportation programs in Dallas and Austin failed in the state legislative session that just ended.Two transit proposals that would have diverted 25% of the sales tax revenue...

May 29, 2025 - TRA Austin -Today, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that singles out and could potentially put a damper on investment in high-speed rail development in Texas.House Bill 2003, filed by rural Representative Cody Harris, (R) Palestine,...

Updated May 27, 2025 - TRA Austin -Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill Friday that would, for the first time, create a grant program to eliminate dangerous at-grade rail crossings across the state. A supplemental budget of $250 million was...

February 24, 2025 - TRA Austin -The flip-side to some important rail legislation proposed each session in Austin, like improving at-grade rail crossings and expanding passenger rail service in Texas, is the gaggle of anti-high speed rail bills that always...

May 31, 2023 - CBSAustin.com - A local multi-billion-dollar mass transit project is still on track despite efforts in the just-ended legislative session aimed at derailing it. Project Connect is moving forward with a slimmed-down initial plan to create a new light rail service connecting...

February 27, 2023 - TRA Austin -Texas Representative Ana Hernandez (District-143) has filed a bill in the House to limit the length of trains that run through her district, citing that long trains block railroad crossings for extended periods of...

December 24, 2022 - APTA.com -The American Public Transportation Association reports that House and Senate Appropriations Committee Leaders included  $21.2 billion for public transit and $16.6 billion for passenger and freight rail in H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023....

December 16, 2022 - TRA Austin -The Texas House Transportation Committee Interim Report recommends utilizing a long-dormant but still on-the-books fund to boost improvements to the state's rail system.The Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund (appropriated fund 0306) was approved...

Updated March 18, 2021 - TRA Austin - Update: A number of bills which are being supported by Texas Rail Advocates can be found on our Under The Dome 2021 rail issues webpage http://texasrailadvocates.org/2021-texas-legislature-rail-issues/ Those include a significant bill filed before the...