LAMPASAS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — A proposed rail line stretching 26.9 miles from Burnet to Lampasas County is drawing strong opposition from local landowners and residents. At a town hall held Tuesday evening, community members voiced concerns about how the project could affect their properties, health, and way of life.
“With the quarry, and with this railroad – if we don't do something, Burnet will not be what our dreams of Burnet are,” one resident said during the meeting.
“Over the last 70 years, the patterns of use here have changed, and they are treating these easements like nothing has changed,” another resident said.
“Your life is over as you know it once they get that track in,” another said.
The rail line would transport aggregate and pass through more than 60 properties, coming within a few hundred feet of some homes.
The project is still under review, but many said it poses risks to the environment, rural communities and the character of the area.
David Love and Joe Abel have owned land in the area since the late 1900s. The proposed railroad would cut straight through their properties.
“They just need to take into account the rural people and the small towns they are really affecting, some of them in different ways and some in the same way,” Love said.
“My words are: use our roads,” Abel said.
The town hall provided a space for neighbors to share input, receive updates on the project, and write statements to send to the Surface Transportation Board.
“Getting something organized that we can really show a cohesive front against this will be really good on that,” Love said.
The question is whether residents can stop the project before it’s too late.
“I hope that we move forward in our opposition. It’s going to be a battle. We got a fight in front of us. I’m opposed to it, and as best I can, I will fight it,” Abel said.
“Same here,” Love agreed.
Residents impacted by the proposed rail line still have time to submit comments to the Surface Transportation Board. The deadline is Monday, April 14.
