A long-delayed high-speed rail line in Texas has a new owner: a Republican donor who says the project can be completed even as the Trump administration rescinds federal funding.
John Kleinheinz, a former investment banker, has long been involved in the Texas Central Railway project, which would connect Dallas and Houston using Japanese-made Shinkansen trains. In January, his firm Kleinheinz Capital Partners bought out the line’s Japanese investors.
Now the project still faces obstacles — including the Trump administration’s decision to revoke a $63 million grant awarded under the bipartisan infrastructure law. But people who know Kleinheinz say he has the experience and skills to make the project work.
“He spent quality time in Japan early in his career. He knows that Shinkansen system very well,” said Bill Meadows, a former member of the Texas Transportation Commission who also served on a state task force studying high-speed rail.
