(The following story by David Tewes appeared on the Victoria Advocate website on December 27.)
VICTORIA, Texas — A deal could be in the works that might entice Kansas City Southern railroad to bypass Victoria.
“I hate to put odds on it happening,” Victoria Mayor Will Armstrong said. “We’d like to work with them, but we want some more information.”
Kansas City Southern, which is rebuilding the out-of-service line between Victoria and Rosenberg, asked the city for help in acquiring a construction yard, Armstrong said. The city responded by saying it would consider doing that in exchange for the railroad bypass south of Victoria so trains would not have to go through the heart of the city.
Armstrong said he requested something in writing from the railroad on the bypass and a promised completion date.
There has been no response from Kansas City Southern, he said. “We may never hear back from them, but I think we will.”
The Advocate also made an unsuccessful attempt Wednesday to get a response from the railroad.
The Victoria-Rosenberg line was taken out of use in the mid-1990s, but Kansas City Southern began rehabilitating it earlier this year. The line would tie into the Union Pacific railroad in east Victoria and trains would continue to go through the downtown area, unless the bypass is built.
Armstrong and County Judge Don Pozzi met with Ted Houghton, one of five Texas Transportation Commission members, to discuss the Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor project. That project could provide right of way for the railroad bypass, if it is routed south of Victoria along U.S. 59.
“His response was very good,”Armstrong said. “We need to get organized and we need to make our request known.”
Pozzi said the county also supports the railroad and the interstate bypass south of the city.
“Anything they are asking the city or county to do or any input they’re asking from us, they’re getting,” Pozzi said. “But the railroad is being very confidential about what they are doing.”