In Colleyville, TEX Rail opposition gains steam during election season

The TEX Rail commuter line has become a campaign issue in the upcoming City Council election, with critics calling it a bloated $1 billion project that will do little to solve traffic problems while having a negative impact on the quality of life in their upscale suburb.

The 27-mile project will cut through Northeast Tarrant County, including Colleyville, on its way from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and has been planned for more than a decade by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, or The T.

“It will fundamentally change the character of our town in only negative ways,” said Councilman Chris Putnam, who is not up for re-election. “Property values will get destroyed along the rail.”

Putnam and others want to pass a resolution in opposition of the project.

But Mayor David Kelly points out that the city has already said no to a rail station being built in Colleyville and that there’s little else that can be done.

“No city is in a position to stop Tex Rail,” Kelly said in an email to the Star-Telegram. “Those opposed to Tex Rail are free to fight it, but the city of Colleyville does not have the resources to wage what will ultimately be a philosophical war against commuter rail. Instead, we have chosen to put every resource at our disposal into mitigating the impact of such a rail line, especially noise.”

Officials at The T have already ordered eight TEX Rail cars from a manufacturer in Switzerland and construction is expected to start this summer or early fall. Trains could be rolling by late 2018 with 8,000 passengers a day riding within the first year of service, said Laura Hanna, spokeswoman for The T.

Plans call for TEX Rail stations to be built in North Richland Hills and Grapevine. Colleyville officials have long stood strong in their opposition to a rail station being built at John McCain Road and Texas 26 and have taken steps to reduce the impact of the trains with quiet zones and other measures.

The T has already secured local funding for TEX Rail, which covers about half of the $998 million cost for the train. The remainder will be coming from the federal government and other sources. In February, the T was notified that the TEX Rail project was allocated $100 million in President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget.

‘Not supporting the train station’

Richard Newton, who is challenging Kelly for the mayor’s seat, said if elected he would push for a resolution opposing TEX Rail.

“I don’t see any benefit for Colleyville,” said Newton, who served several previous terms as mayor and councilman. “It can be a detractor. We should state that. Just doing that, passing the resolution, doesn’t mean it’s going to stop it, but that’s one step. Elected officials should represent the best interests of the citizens of the city.”

Early voting in the May 7 election begins April 25.

Bobby Lindamood, who is running for Place 2 against incumbent Chuck Mogged, said he would support such a resolution because it’s what the residents of Colleyville want.

“It’s a losing situation for the communities with a train running through the middle of it lowering property values. It’s the biggest waste of taxpayer money,” LIndamood said.

Mogged said he supports the ongoing moratorium on the construction of a station in Colleyville.

“I’m opposed to TEX Rail and expressed that to a lot of officials that are actually involved in funding it,” said Mogged, who has talked with representatives in Washington, D.C., and Austin.

While he opposes it as an individual, having the council pass a resolution opposing TEX Rail would be a “futile gesture at this point.”

“We are not supporting the train station. We are not supporting the train itself,” Mogged said. “At the end of the day we have to recognize that the train track has been there for over a century. If they are able to get funding, there’s nothing we do to stop them.”

‘Shoved down their throats’

Place 1 Councilwoman Carol Wollin said TEX Rail is a poor use of transportation funds that won’t benefit Colleyville residents.

“I wish they would put more of it toward the highways and roads,” she said. “Our residents, they like to drive.”

She would rather support expanded bus service to communities that need it. Not in Colleyville, though.

Tammy Nakamura, who is challenging Wollin for Place 1, said the majority of Colleyville residents she’s talked to in her campaign don’t support TEX Rail. She said it’s being “shoved down their throats.”

“This project is a huge detriment to Colleyville,” said Nakamura, who lives five houses down from the railroad tracks. “I’m going to voice my opposition to it every chance I get. For $1 billion we get nothing out of it.”

She would also support a council resolution opposing TEX Rail.

“Everybody is saying it’s inevitable,” Nakamura said. “It’s inevitable if we don’t fight it. We have to at least try to fight to keep it out.”

‘They have the trump card’

Councilman Mike Taylor, who is not up for re-election, said he’s aware of the opposition to the commuter train in Colleyville, mostly from people who live near the tracks. But, he said there are plenty of people who support the train and plan to drive to nearby stations in North Richland Hills or Grapevine.

Taylor represents Colleyville and other cities in Northeast Tarrant County on the Regional Transporation Council and supports the project as a regional transportation solution.

“We simply have to live with the fact that they have right of way through our city,” said Taylor. “They have the trump card. If it’s in your back yard, you’ve got a different opinion.”

Kelly said it’s important to remember that TEX Rail is not a new issue.

“The city has known that some form of commuter rail through Colleyville was a possibility for more than a decade,” Kelly said. “We long ago investigated our options and having been told at every level that the city could not stop it, we chose to do everything we could to mitigate its impact.”

Four-quadrant gates, which are considered safer than two-quadrant gates, were installed at all three railroad crossings in Colleyville and quiet zones were established.

“Those went into effect last year and this means that trains will not blow their horns at any of the three rail crossings in Colleyville,” Kelly said.

The safety improvements were paid for using grants rather than taxpayer dollars.

Taylor said it would be presumptive of the council to lobby against the commuter rail when the whole city doesn’t oppose it. Just like the Glade Road initiative last year, if Colleyville residents want to oppose the rail, they should bring a petition forward and get it on the ballot, Taylor said.

“This is not something the council should decide,” he said. “If you’re going to speak for the city, you’ve got to have the will of the voters behind you.”

Important for the future

Texas Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, has also been a vocal opponent of TEX Rail, calling it an “unjustifiable taxpayer-funded albatross.”

The T’s own study shows the train will have “negligible effects on traffic patterns and volumes on parallel roadways,” Burton said.

It would decrease traffic volumes by 0.07 percent, according to The T.

Beyond the low ridership forecasts and the cost, Putnam said there are other reasons to oppose TEX Rail.

For one, he said the project will require double tracks so the trains can run in both directions. That could require additional right of way in some locations.

Hanna said double tracks will be required in some areas so trains can pass each other. The T has already started purchasing right of way where needed.

Hanna cited population growth and demand for mass transit from millennials as the driving force for increased TEX Rail.

Oscar Trevino, mayor of North Richland Hills, where there will be two TEX Rail stations, said it’s crucial to have alternative methods of transportation for the future.

Trevino said North Richland Hills has received a lot of interest from developers who want to build mixed-use projects near the two stations at Iron Horse Boulevard and Browning Drive and at Smithfield Road and Main Street.

Grapevine’s station, approved by voters in 2006, will be built on Main Street in that city’s historic downtown.

“From a North Richland Hills standpoint, we have to look 25, 30 years into the future,” said Trevino, who is also a member of the Regional Transportation Council. “We are not going to be widening [Loop] 820 again. We’re not going to be able to widen Davis Boulevard anymore. How do we address the future?”

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 3:20 PM with the headline "In Colleyville, TEX Rail opposition gains steam during election season."