MISSION, Texas - Armando O’Caña says being re-elected mayor of Mission will help resurrect the Madero International Bridge project.
The binational rail project was shelved by Mission City Council when O’Caña lost his re-election bid in 2022. Current Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza has not deemed it a priority, even though economic development leaders in Hidalgo County would like a freight rail crossing into Mexico.
Asked for a status report on Madero by Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports, O’Caña said:
“I can't speak for the City of Mission because I'm not an elected official. I can tell you that I'm going to put my name on the ballot in November 2026. That's my plan, to put my name on the ballot for mayor, for the citizens of Mission. One of my goals is to rekindle (the Madero project).”
There was great interest in Mexico for the Madero project during O’Caña's time as mayor of Mission, the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service reported, back in 2021.
Ron Whitlock Reports sought an interview with O’Caña primarily to ask about his plans to build light rail, or commuter rail, in the Valley. Asked where things are at with the project, O’Caña said the Triangle Railroad Holding Company is taking the lead. The company wants to build high speed rail from Mission-McAllen to Houston, San Antonio, and Monterrey, Mexico. It also wants to build light rail from Edmonton, Canada, to Calgary, Canada, and from Dallas to San Antonio.
“We had a Zoom meeting between Canada, France and the United States and especially the Texas area. We being the Triangle Railroad Holding Company and the RGV Rail Group. We also have now a new nonprofit called the Rio Grande Valley Rail Advocates. We're on the move. We're at the land acquisition stage right now. We're at 25% land acquisition.”
O’Caña confirmed various stakeholders will be hosting a major light rail conference in Mission early in the new year.
“The conference committee is meeting to finalize the agenda. We have excellent speakers lined up. We have confirmed the keynote speaker will be from France. Jean-Pierre Ramirez is the pioneer who did the feasibility study for the project to connect London and Paris by going under the English Channel. He will be live in Mission, Texas.”
Asked what the reaction has been from state and federal officials, O’Caña said:
Obviously, south of San Antonio and south of Houston, everything's been very positive. Unfortunately, north of San Antonio and north of Houston, there have been barriers because the Texas Central Rail system has had something of a negative impact on the community.”
O’Caña said many people will be aware of plans for light rail in the so-called Texas Triangle of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. He said he and his colleagues are working to turn that into a Binational Diamond Rail Corridor, comprising, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Monterrey, and San Antonio.
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of part of Ron Whitlock's interview with Armando O’Caña:
