Texas Central lays off 28 employees

A bullet train connecting Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, British Columbia, is being talked about in the Washington state legislature.

David C. Lester

Texas Central, the builder of the planned bullet train between Dallas and Houston, has laid off 28 employees due to delays in the project resulting from the impact of the coronavirus on partners in Italy, Spain and Japan, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said “Unfortunately, like many other companies and organizations around the world, we have been forced to make hard decisions in an effort to make the best use of our current funding. Our core team of experts and planners remain actively engaged and prepared to move this project forward when we have our permits and the financial markets have stabilized.”

Aguilar also said “From an execution standpoint, the project is shovel-ready. Once we receive our permit approval, our ability to begin construction will be contingent upon financial entities in the United States, Europe and Japan – all of which are dealing with urgent priorities generated by COVID-19 – completing their due diligence process.”

The original timetable for the project included possible groundbreaking in 2020, with anticipated completion in 2026. The pandemic, of course, has changed that timetable, but no one knows to what extent.

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