Momentum for light rail in the RGV grows. International Rail Conference announced.

MISSION, Texas – A company that wants to bring light rail to the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Monterrey, Mexico, is to host a two-day conference on the subject.

The 2025 Rio Grande Valley International Rail Conference takes place at the Mission Event Center on Jan. 30 and 31.

Triangle Railroad Holding Company (TRHC) board member Dr. Armando O’Caña said his group has secured the support of Monterrey Mayor Adrián Emilio de la Garza Santos. He said De la Garza will speak at an evening reception the day before the conference.

O’Caña, the former mayor of Mission, gave the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service an exclusive interview about his company’s plans.

“It is time for us to wake up the Rio Grande Valley and the state of Texas and the United States about the importance of rail in this area. We have developed the Rio Grande Valley over the past 50 years, and it is the appropriate time for us to be able to begin planning and developing rail, both passenger as well as freight,” O’Caña said.

Asked where the idea came from, O’Caña said: “Well, the idea came from back when I was mayor of the City of Mission. The City of Mission had an international rail bridge presidential permit (for the Madero Bridge) that we brought back to life. So, it started as a City of Mission project, and then went the privatization route.”

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Asked what to expect at the conference, O’Caña said: “We have international speakers lined up. We have speakers from Canada. We have speakers from France. We have speakers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And we have speakers from the Rio Grande Valley. It’s kind of like a guacamole of speakers. The keynote speaker is the mayor of Monterrey. He’s going to be our highlight speaker on the 30th at a dinner we are having at the Mission Event Center.”

Asked what TRHC hopes to achieve from the conference, O’Caña said: “Connectivity. Networking. Unity. Unity for one purpose – to develop rail east and west and also north and south. To connect Mexico, especially Monterrey. That’s why the mayor Monterrey has been asked to come and speak in the conference. It is very, very important that Mexico be connected to the United States. We’re also connecting to Houston and San Antonio.”

Asked about TRHC, O’Caña said: “The Triangle Railroad Holding Company is the founding father of Rio Grande Valley Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit organization that is going to be taking the lead on this project and other projects that pertain to rail in the area.”

Dr. Armando O’Caña. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Asked what the time frame is, O’Caña said: “Well, first of all, this year, we’re looking at land acquisition. We’re looking at acquiring a 400-acre tract of land here in the Rio Grande Valley. That’s going to be our Central Station. Phase One will go from Brownsville to Roma. We will then go from Roma to Laredo. And then north to Houston, and not only Houston, but also San Antonio, connecting with the North Central Development Council (which is) connecting Dallas to Houston via high-speed rail.”

It was put to O’Caña that the timing of the conference and TRHC’s plans could not be better, given that the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council has announced plans at its recent 2025 State of the COG to develop a Regional Transit Authority. O’Caña agreed.

“Yes, it’s the perfect timing. We have already offered ourselves to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council. We have offered ourselves through a cooperative agreement to become the private-public joint effort to continue with light rail here in the Rio Grande Valley. We are working on that, and I think that is going to happen,” O’Caña said.

“The fact that the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is developing a transit authority, that is going to be the tool; to be the infrastructure to put movement toward (this project) coming to fruition.”

Asked where the funding for the light rail project will come from, O’Caña said development of the rail terminals or stations.

“Our president has the vision of being able to develop in and around the stations. There is a lot of research that says that land development can occur within a one-mile radius of where a train station is located. So, using those funds from the land development, those are the percentages that we can help the transit authority with, to be able to match whatever percentage is needed.”

Asked if TRHC is looking for “buy-in” from local cities, O’Caña said:

“Yes, basically we’re looking at about 14 stations from Roma to all the way to Brownsville that are going to be strategically located. There may not be a station in every city but they’re going to be strategically located. Around South Padre Island, around the Outlets at Mercedes, around the airport in McAllen or even the central bus station in McAllen. And definitely the central station here in the Mission area.”

Editor’s Note: Click here to learn more about the 2025 Rio Grande Valley International Rail Conference. Click here to see the agenda and list of speakers for the conference.

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