AUSTIN, Texas — If there is one journey Travis County Judge Andy Brown is aiming for, it is bringing better passenger rail service between Bexar and Travis counties. He is part of a group called Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, or TPRAC, made up of elected officials and rail experts.
"There are very few places in the world that have two cities in metropolitan areas that are that fast-growing and that big that don't have great passenger rail between them. So we're trying to catch up to the rest of the world," Brown said.
The current Amtrak line goes from San Antonio to Austin to Dallas and then up north. But Brown also wants to connect us with our neighbors across the border.
"The idea is to get to a place where we have one line where that would go on that route, but could also connect to either through Laredo or through McAllen in South Texas and then to Monterrey, Mexico," Brown said.
Expanding passenger rail has garnered interest from the new president of Mexico, with Brown interested in connecting to the area's booming economy.
"A lot of manufacturing takes place. There are a lot of companies that are leaving Asia and are coming closer to the United States to set up shop in the Monterrey, Mexico, Nuevo Leon region are causing a lot of this growth," Brown said.
Brittney Rodriguez with the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is excited about the possibilities rail service to Mexico could bring to the Latino community.
"We are power incarnate," Rodriguez said. "There's so much we don't understand about cultural exchange, commerce, exchange, but all of it points to the direction of progress."
To get the expansion done, Brown said the project needs funding. The federal government has come up with billions to improve passenger rail infrastructure.
"So we have to come up with 20% locally and they'll match with 80%. And so that is the step that needs to take place as we as the group of TPRAC, we're writing a letter to the Texas Legislature to ask them to put $300 million into a rail fund so that we can draw down federal money," Brown said.
They are also working with TxDOT, who is also working with the Federal Rail Administration to apply for grants that study improving rail service in Texas.
"There are gems yet to be uncovered," Rodriguez said.
Brown said a project connecting Austin to San Antonio to Dallas could happen within five to 10 years but expects rail between Austin and Monterrey could take longer.