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[quote user="schlimm"] [quote user="CMStPnP"] Also BTW, Sam1 never mentioned this but Southwest Airlines was adamantly opposed to HSR in Texas and lobbied to kill one of the past proposals.     I would like to see HSR in Texas as a viable option on short hauls.    I'm willing to pay for it via higher taxes if needed.     It's coming eventually whether the obstructors and naysayers believe it or not.    It's just a matter of time.  Anyhow, my two cents.<IMG alt="Big Smile" src="http://cs.trains.com/trccs/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif"> [/quote]  You are shortchanging yourself!  I'd say that post was worth a lot more than 2 cents!!   Not too surprising that sam1 omitted that little detail about SWA.  Although Texas is a huge state in area, it looks like there are a number of metro areas within the magic 500 miles of each other and would thus be a great candidate for several HSR routes? [/quote] Although Southwest Airlines gets the lion's share of the blame for opposing the proposal to develop a high speed rail line between DFW and San Antonio, most of the other airlines, as well as the state's bus companies also weighed in against the proposal.  They opposed the use of state monies to support the proposed system.   The proposal was predicated on a private/public relationship.  The project sponsors recognized that the system would never cover its costs; therefore, they wanted the Texas legislature to put up a significant amount of money to help fund it.  At the end of the day the members of the legislature, who are elected by mostly conservative constituents, rejected the proposal.  Most of the members did not think that the proposal was viable in a state where the over whelming majority of the people prefer to drive.  And at the time highway congestion in Texas was not a major problem.  To claim that the project was defeated exclusively by Southwest Airlines is to state a clear lack of understanding of Texas politics. The founders of Southwest Airlines, who put together what is arguably the most successful airline in the world, did not receive any government support for their airline.  In fact, they faced substantial government and competitor opposition.  Having overcome significant opposition to their proposed intrastate airline, it is little wonder that they did not want government money used to launch a high speed rail system that had no possibility of covering its costs but would bleed off some of its passengers.
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