Rail line project from Brownsville to Roma in the works

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Armando O’Caña a board member with Triangle Railroad Holding Company (TRHC) said he has been trying to bring passenger rail to the Rio Grande Valley for years.

"My goal is in 10 years to be able to begin to test the first mile of the rail," he said.

O'Caña added they are currently at the project's funding and land acquisition stage. Many Valley residents believe this is a good idea.

However, some are concerned about how this will get done and its cost.

"Anything that is for the good and brings growth to the cities is great," said McAllen resident Amy Gaytan. "It’s something good and it would be something new for many of us."

Gaytan loves the idea of jumping on a passenger train, but not all Valley residents are completely convinced.

“How they are going to pay for it and if they will be using taxpayer money, the environmental impacts and is it really necessary as pretty much everybody here as some already drive to work from Harlingen to San Juan and Harlingen to Pharr and that is not a rough commute," said Pharr resident Jessica Ortega.

The first phase of the project includes 13 stops from Brownsville to Roma. The TRHC said this will spur economic development.

O’Caña went on to say the goal is to remove traffic from the highway to reduce emissions and added it would also work with bus routes to get people to their destinations.

The project’s cost would range from $20 to $30 billion.

Paul Bertanzetti, President of the Rio Grande Valley Rail Advocates said he believes most of the funding will be from private entities.

“It is a big vision," he said. "But, it can be profitable all the way because of the real estate development. I do not think that we need government money one bit. We build it as we go.”

Bertanzetti added another potential barrier is the environmental study. However, he said the current presidential administration has reduced the time of the studies from two years down to six months.

Plans for the rail line include expanding from Mission to Houston and from McAllen to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

Gustavo Brito, a representative from the City of Monterrey said this would be great for security as well.

"There are certain incidents on the road, and in this case, all of that will be avoided," Brito said. "We believe that this is going to greatly increase tourism and business in our city."