Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), along with the Texas Democratic delegation, announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded Texas and Oklahoma a $5,600,000.00-grant as part of the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program.

These funds will be used to complete necessary, preliminary corridor service planning studies for new and improved high-speed intercity passenger rail along an approximate 850-mile corridor, which mirrors the route of Interstate 35 between South Texas and Oklahoma City. The $5.6 million in planning funds will be shared with the State of Oklahoma, with Texas acting as the lead State.

Congressman Cuellar authored an amendment in H.R. 6003, the "Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, to ensure that the South Texas community was included in the study. Now, initial planning will look at Laredo and McAllen/Brownsville as potential sites for a rail station. Prior to Congressman Cuellar’s amendment, the study would have only included areas north of San Antonio.

"Geographically, Texas is ideally suited for rail transportation and that’s why I fought hard to ensure that South Texas and the border community was included in this study," said Congressman Henry Cuellar. "A new passenger rail line would garner sizeable benefits for travelers as well as those in the trade community. This grant marks the kind of developments that will serve as the foundation for travel and commerce of the future."

Members of the Texas Democratic delegation, Reps. Eddie Johnson, Lloyd Doggett, Ciro Rodriguez, Solomon Ortiz, Ruben Hinojosa, Charles Gonzalez and Chet Edwards, welcomed news as well.

 "With our highway system reaching capacity I’m glad to see Texas moving forward in developing a High Speed Rail infrastructure. These planning funds will allow the Texas Department of Transportation to begin planning for an intercity high speed corridor that would provide service from Laredo and Brownsville, to San Antonio and through Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and onto Oklahoma City," said Congresswoman Eddie Johnson, the senior Texan on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 

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