U.S. Govt Revokes Grant for JR-Backed Texas Bullet Train

   New York, April 14 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday announced the cancellation of a government grant of about 63.9 million dollars to develop a high-speed rail link in Texas, citing ballooning costs.
   The Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor is planned to be a Japanese-style bullet train system, with Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, offering technical assistance. But Duffy's announcement that federal funding for it will be pulled has cast a pall over the project.
   The high-speed rail line is envisioned to connect Houston and Dallas, 385 kilometers apart, in about 90 minutes.
   The line was proposed by a private railway company in 2009. Despite a goal of opening in the early 2020s, construction has not progressed due to delays in fundraising and land acquisition, as well as changes in management.
   The Transportation Department said in a statement that the project has become "unrealistic" as estimated costs have jumped to over 40 billion dollars. "This project is a waste of taxpayer funds," Duffy said in the statement.

(2025/04/15-17:16)