Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) is encouraging Laredo and Webb County residents to participate in the Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study Public Meeting to be held in Laredo on Wednesday.

The purpose of the meeting is for residents to provide input that will help Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and Federal Railroad Administration officials make informed decisions when formulating the rail study, which includes the possibility of new high-speed passenger rail service from Oklahoma City to South Texas in Laredo.

The public meeting will be held Wednesday, April 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the TXDOT offices located at 1817 Bob Bullock Loop.

“This plan will take everything into consideration, from population growth to connectivity with other modes of transportation to the ability of the proposed corridor helping reduce regional traffic congestion,” said Congressman Cuellar. “I encourage the area’s residents to attend this meeting and throw their support behind this project.”

Background Information: In 2008, Congressman Cuellar successfully passed an amendment that required a feasibility study to expand high-speed rail to South Texas. The amendment was included in H.R. 2095, The Passenger Rail Improvement Act of 2008. In early November 2010, Congress awarded Texas and Oklahoma a $5.6 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation to TXDOT to complete necessary 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 Oklahoma City and South Texas in Laredo. The $5.6 million in planning funds will be shared with the State of Oklahoma, with Texas acting as the lead State. Towards the end of 2010, TXDOT released the Texas Rail Plan, which once again included South Texas in the plan.