Texas Central President and CEO Carlos Aguilar announced his resignation on Sunday. Texas Central is behind the project to build a bullet train from Dallas to Houston, according to Dallas Innovates.
“Given news reports in the international press today, I am announcing my departure from Texas Central,” Aguilar shared in his resignation posted to LinkedIn.
“I am immensely proud of the achievements of OUR team, gaining, among many other accomplishments, end-to-end regulatory approvals for the first true high-speed rail project in our nation’s history,” he wrote. “This was a most conscientious and complex endeavor, carefully addressing concerns from landowners and stakeholders and providing opportunities to all sectors of our society, a FIRST for U.S. Infrastructure.”
Texas Central is undertaking the development, design, construction, finance, and operation of a new high-speed passenger train line connecting the fourth and fifth largest economies in the country, North Texas and Greater Houston, in less than 90 minutes. The line will have one stop in the Brazos Valley, per the company’s website.
According to Dallas Innovates, Aguilar’s resignation follows months of challenges faced by the project. The Texas Supreme Court is also preparing to deliver an eminent domain ruling on the project this month.
In his resignation, Aguilar said that Texas Central had come a long way.
“The Texas Central staff grew from a small start-up to an expert interdisciplinary and integrated team that became a true leader in this sector worldwide, attracting the best of the best talent from Texas, the U.S., and the World, to execute this project properly,” he said. “Most of the ‘graduates’ of our effort will continue to contribute to our economy through their roles at other companies.”
Aguilar expects the team will implement what he calls “this desperately-needed project.”
The bullet train project, he said, would “improve safety, reduce traffic, reduce greenhouse emissions, and connect two of the most important metro centers in the country with the most advanced train service available.”
Furthermore, he added, “I will never forget your ethics, talent, dedication, and sheer resilience through it all!”
Legal challenges started when a private landowner in Texas did not want part of his property used in the project, according to Strategic Partnerships Inc. These disputes have pushed back the expected timeline for the railway.
“Meanwhile, both the landowner and Texas Central continue to garner support in the form of amicus briefs filed with the court,” SPI shared. “The court will weigh these arguments while deciding if the $20 billion railway project is an operating railroad company or interurban electric rail company, a standing that would grant it eminent domain authority.”
The hearing is scheduled to be held by the end of June, and the U.S. Supreme Court could appeal the ruling.
In his resignation, Aguilar wished future success for the project.
“While I could not align our current stakeholders on a common vision for a path forward, I wish the project the greatest success and remain convinced of the importance of this venture for the safety and prosperity of ALL Texans,” he said.
According to Dallas Innovates, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supports a passenger rail in Texas. Buttigieg said the state is a “great candidate for high-speed rail.”
In closing remarks, Aguilar said in his resignation that he would be “announcing next steps soon.” He then thanked various project shareholders, including Mayor Eric Johnson, Texas State Senator Royce West, and Texas State Representative Yvonne Davis.
