High-speed Rail in Texas: an Analysis of Public Opinion and Rural Opposition

High-speed rail is popular across Asia and Europe but not well utilized in the United States. The success of railway projects in the U.S. depends upon urban-rural cooperation as routes connecting cities require rural land. This study examines interest in high-speed rail using data from the UTDallas COMETrends research project, a content analysis of the Texans Against High-Speed Rail (TAHSR) Facebook page, and data from the Texas Community Leaders Project in order to determine public interest in high-speed rail and the role the urban-rural political divide may play in its establishment. The results indicate while rural or urban residency do not appear to impact perceptions of high-speed rail, political polarization may impact its successful implementation in the U.S. The content analysis determined that partisan messaging was used in TAHSR Facebook posts, but that framing high-speed rail as a Republican cause may boost support in counties with an overwhelming Republican majority. However, information from the Texas Community Leaders Survey revealed that rural leaders are not uniformly opposed to highspeed rail, resulting in questions regarding rural leadership to be explored in future research.