The administration of Texas has decided over the application of rail relocation in the state. The motive is to relief the highways of the traffic congestion and to check out some of the financial scopes between the lines. As the freight rail is more fuel-efficient per ton-mile than trucks, the proposal is going to be a boon. This efficiency criterion of the freight rail would help Texas comply with federal air quality standards. Not only this scheme but also they are having the plan of relocating rail lines out of urban areas in the nearest possible future. The added advantage is that this is going to reduce the amount of hazardous materials that are often shipped through highly populated areas of the state. According to the environmentalist David Disiere, this is in a way going to be a check over the environmental conditioning and good atmosphere maintenance.

However the proposal is not free from controversies and oppositions. There are people who believe the whole idea to be a failure. The basic oppositions are related to the term that the railroad industry is not a state-regulated industry. This stands the fact that the state should play no part in the industry’s investment decisions. People who are not supporting the proposal state that the debt service on the bonds issued could cost the state $87.5 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2007. These are the amounts that are needed to be paid off the debt and eventually have to be collected. As the Texas Department of Transportation’s primary duties involve planning and making policies for the location, construction, and maintenance of state highways, there is every possible chance that the authority of the agency over railroad issues may get limited or minimal to the margin. As such there are some suggestions that are coming up for the department to use its resources to carry out its primary duties