How American Capitalism Messes up Everything: Transportation
- Cornell Guion
- Sep 2
- 6 min read
What We Lost When Texas Killed High-Speed Rail — and Why It’s Not Too Late to Get It Back
By Cornell Guion
A Country Built on Rails
America—the bastion of innovation and ingenuity. We led the world when it came to building railway systems that connected East and West. These railways allowed people to move far more efficiently than by horse-drawn wagon, opening doors to opportunity in parts of the country beyond where they were born or where their families first settled.
This was the beginning of wealth-building for many. The gold rushes. The development of the Midwest into a farming powerhouse for corn and soybeans. The chance to escape the crowded cities of the East or the slavery of the South. Trains connected people, opened markets, and gave folks a real shot at a better life.
For Black folks in the South, trains were even more profound: they were a way out. A literal escape from racial violence, voter suppression, land theft, and Jim Crow. The Illinois Central Railroad connected New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta directly to Chicago. That’s why Black Chicagoans talk like that—country, but also very Midwestern.
Rail wasn’t just about domestic opportunity. It was a key ingredient in America’s rise to global power. Trains got crops from Iowa to ships in New Orleans. Steel from Pittsburgh (Pittsburg's Steelers!!) to ports in New York. Goods moved fast and business boomed.
Railroads were funded four ways back then:
• Private capital
• Local and state governments
• Federal land grants
• Speculation and credit
It was a mix of bold vision and collective investment. That’s what made it work.
The Bullet Train Era — and Where America Fell Behind
Today, the new rail frontier is high-speed rail. Bullet trains. A hallmark of advanced transit systems in countries like Japan, France, China, and Spain—connecting major cities faster than planes when you factor in airport delays.
Built for speed, efficiency, and sustainability, bullet trains reduce traffic congestion, cut carbon emissions, and allow urban regions to grow without sprawl.
And yet… the U.S. has just one: the Acela, running from Boston to D.C., maxing out at 150 mph. They've just opened the NextGen Acela...it goes 160 mph. blank stare
China’s CR400 tops 248 mph. And while they’ve connected hundreds of cities, we’ve got one line—and it doesn’t even go to New York’s Penn Station without slowing to a crawl.
The Texas Train That Never Was
Let’s go back to Texas in the late '80s and early '90s. There was a real effort to connect Dallas to Houston by high-speed rail. Eventually, the line would expand to Austin and San Antonio—linking the four major metros.
On paper, this should’ve been a no-brainer. These cities form a megaregion, and travel between them is constant.
But there was one big, wealthy opponent: Southwest Airlines.
Southwest started as a short-haul route airline created specifically to connect Texas cities. So this rail wasn’t just competition—it was an existential threat.
By the early '90s, Southwest had spent $37 million (about $81 million today) lobbying to kill the project. They:
• Filed hundreds of legal challenges
• Pushed for bans on public funding
• Sued to block a study trip to Europe
• Lobbied against tax-exempt bonds
• And leaned hard on key elected officials
It’s widely believed they pressured Governor Ann Richards and Senator Lloyd Bentsen to pull support.
Richards, who had been open to the idea, eventually signed a bill banning the use of state funds for high-speed rail—despite the fact that our railroads in the 19th and 20th centuries were built using state and local money.
Bentsen, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, could’ve enabled federal financing through tax-exempt bonds. Instead, he stayed quiet.
These were both Democrats, mind you. We often think of corporate allegiance as a partisan issue—but in this case, both the governor and the senator chose corporations and special interests over the people who elected them.
It’s the same story we’ve seen before:
• A powerful company, scared of competition
• Politicians who fold instead of fight
• A community robbed of something transformative
• A country left in the 20th century
What Texas Lost
Real connection.
This wasn’t just a train—it was a way to make Texas feel smaller. Easier to navigate. More accessible. Imagine being able to go from Houston to Austin for a morning meeting and be back by dinner. To visit family without a four-hour drive. To experience another part of the state, regularly, without hassle.
Connection builds empathy. It shrinks divides—urban vs. rural, Black vs. white, conservative vs. progressive.
Safety.
Let’s talk about roads. I-45 and I-35 are among the deadliest highways in America.
In 2023, I-45 alone saw 97 fatal crashes. That’s 105 lives lost in one year.
Since the rail project was killed in 1994, as many as 2,500 people have died on that route.
High-speed rail would have replaced thousands of those car trips.
Environmental relief.
Cars and short-haul flights are huge emitters of carbon dioxide. Trains? Not even close.
We say Texas leads in energy. We could’ve been a leader in clean transit, too.
Cost-effective travel.
Think about how much we spend on flights, gas, tolls, car maintenance. Now think about what it would mean for working families to have a reliable, affordable way to get from one Texas city to another.
You could catch a Cowboys game, hit a conference, or visit college kids in College Station—without it being an all-day event or a financial stretch.
Jobs and economic growth.
According to projections at the time:
• Dallas would’ve gained 20,000 jobs and added $3.5 billion to GDP
• Statewide, the project would’ve generated 28,000 jobs a year and boosted the economy by $5 billion
And we turned it down.
Population Growth Is Coming—Whether We're Ready or Not
By 2050, the Dallas region is expected to reach 12.4 million residents and 8.7 million jobs.
We can’t build enough roads to accommodate that.
We need options.
Where We’d Be—If They Had Let It Happen
That project was halted in 1994.
I wonder all the time where we’d be if it hadn’t been.
I thought about it the other day, driving from Houston to Austin. Four hours I’ll never get back. I could’ve been on a train—working, napping, just breathing.
Same thing with Dallas to Arlington for a Cowboys game. Same thing for all of us.
It’s not just what we missed. It’s what we were denied.
But We Still Have a Chance
There are efforts happening now—real ones:
• A San Antonio–Austin feasibility study is underway through TxDOT, led by Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai. Results due December 2025.
• The Dallas–Houston project is still alive. It started with Texas Central, but now Amtrak has stepped in. The route would run at 205 mph and take just 90 minutes.
• House Bill 483 could reverse outdated bans on public-private rail partnerships along I-35.
What You Can Do
• Support local groups like Texas Rail Advocates and the High Speed Rail Alliance
• Contact your state and federal reps
• Show up during public comment periods
• Talk to your friends and neighbors. Build momentum.
Closing Thoughts
We have a chance to fix what was broken in 1994.
We could have had options. We should have had options.
And if we act now—we still can.
I hope you enjoyed this contribution. Please share it, comment, and stay engaged.
And as always: Stay Vigilant and Stay Woke.
Want to Learn More?
This piece is built on a mix of historical records, local reporting, and current developments in Texas transportation. If you’re curious to explore further or fact-check for yourself, here are the sources I pulled from while putting this together:
“The 10 Fastest High-Speed Trains in the World”
Railway Technology
“How Southwest Airlines Killed Texas High-Speed Rail”
Houston Chronicle
“Firm Planning Texas Bullet Train Tries to Avoid Past Pitfalls”
Texas Tribune
“San Antonio-Dallas Rail Effort Gains Steam, But Faces Long Road”
MySA / San Antonio Express-News
Travis County Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (TPRAC)
Travis County Government Site
Empower 35: Regional High-Speed Rail Coalition
Texas Rail Advocates
“High-Speed Rail Is Back on the Table in the U.S.”
The Guardian
“New Bill Proposes Bullet Train Between North Texas and San Antonio”
KERA News
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