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Committee Passes Bill to Keep the TX State RR Running
Committee Passes Bill to Keep the Texas State Railroad Running
Senate Natural Resources Committee passes SB 1659
Austin-- Today, the Senate Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed SB 1659 by Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) authorizing a partnership of the cities of Rusk and Palestine to keep the Texas State Railroad running by contracting with an alternate operator.
“The people of Anderson and Cherokee counties have come together to save this important part of Texas history,” said Nichols. “Community leaders deserve credit for developing a long-term solution for preserving the Texas State Railroad.”
Currently the Texas State Railroad is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. However, without new funding to TPWD for the railroad or finding an alternate operator, the railroad is scheduled to become a static display beginning September 2007.
In order to keep the historic train running, local leaders have come together to find a solution. SB 1659 creates the Texas State Railroad Authority, which is made up of representatives from Anderson and Cherokee counties, to lease, operate and maintain the Texas State Railroad.
Nichols stressed the importance of continuing train operations now in order to preserve the possibility of the train running in the future.
“If the railroad is closes, it will be essentially impossible to reopen,” said Nichols. “Not only would the cost of restarting it be prohibitive, but needed equipment and specialized knowledge could be lost.”
An identical bill by Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana), HB 3113, is in the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, & Tourism.
The Texas State Railroad is the official railroad of Texas. A historic train running through the heart of the Pineywoods, it provides recreational and scenic trips between the cities of Palestine and Rusk. To learn more about the train, visit: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/railroad/.
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