ANDERSON, Texas -- Texas Central, the company planning to build a high-speed rail through the Brazos Valley, says it would invest $1 billion into Grimes County.
However, the project still faces opposition.
"People move out to the country for peace and quiet, not to be next to a high-speed rail going by every 15 minutes," said Grimes County Judge Ben Leman, who is also the chairman of Texans Against High-speed Rail.
Texas Central said on Thursday that the project could bring $50 million in tax revenue to the county in addition to other benefits.
"Grimes County, it's likely to be retail at the station as well as driving residential growth in subdivisions or large lot subdivisions throughout Walker, Grimes and Madison County," said Texas Central CEO Tim Keith.
Leman says otherwise.
"When you do the math on that, it comes out to be $96 million. Now this $96 million confiscated though eminent domain out of people's private equity,this is really taking it from private individual's pocket and putting it into another private individual's pocket," said Leman.
Leman says it could signal a bigger problem.
"The concern is really the precedent this sets by lowering the threshold for eminent domain to be used. Is there a price tag on private property rights? I will say no," Leman said.
Texas Central says the high-speed rail could bring more than $36 billion to the state as a whole.
The company says it will name the official site of the train station in Grimes County by the end of the year.
