The company planning high-speed rail service between Houston and Dallas announced Tuesday it has reached preliminary agreements to buy property from nearly one-third of the landowners along the planned route, including half of those in two counties where vocal opposition has been strongest.

Texas Central said they have reached option agreements with owners of about 30 percent of the necessary parcels in 10 counties. The option agreements bind property owners to selling the right of way for the train, with the company paying them now for the right to purchase the land once Texas Central has final federal approvals and the funding to build the line, estimated to cost $12 billion.

“This is a significant step in the progress of the high-speed train and it reflects the positive dialogue we have had with landowners along the route,” Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said in a statement. “Texans see the many benefits of a system that will provide a safe, reliable and productive alternative to the state’s transportation demands.”

Texas Central said 50 percent of the parcels needed in Waller and Grimes counties are covered by the option agreements. Landowners in the two counties have been some of the most vocally opposed to the line, which they say will ruin the rural character of the area. Many also have accused the company of heavy handed tactics negotiating with land owners.

Grimes County Judge Ben Leman, chairman of Texans Against High-Speed Rail, said the concerns with how property owners were approached should make people doubt the support Texas Central claims.

“If you are a landowner and you are sitting in your house and someone comes to your door and says they have eminent domain, or you can sign this agreement and we’ll pay 5 percent down… are you going to use eminent domain and cross your fingers,” Leman said.

Most people can’t afford the cost to fight the company in court, he said.

“It is like the ‘Godfather,’” he said. “Making someone an offer they cannot refuse.”

Opponents, including some members of the state legislature, have questioned the company’s assertion that it has power of eminent domain to acquire land as a railroad. Lawmakers have filed legislation that potentially could strip the company of its eminent domain authority or limit state agencies from assisting in the development of the line.

The Federal Railroad Administration must first approve Texas Central’s plans for the line, then it is up to the privately-funded company to build it. The company would use Japanese bullet train technology, and likely receive loans from Japanese banks aiming to export the country’s rail technology, though much of the construction and manufacturing would happen in Texas.

Despite vocal opposition, Texas Central said the project remains on pace as teams work on engineering, safety approvals and even the design of train interiors.

If the project breaks ground next year, the first passenger trips would occur in 2023, according to the company's latest timeline. Riders would hop aboard at three stations – downtown Dallas, a location around Loop 610 and U.S. 290 and a Brazos Valley stop likely east of College Station in Shiro.

The Houston-to-Dallas trip would take about 90 minutes, the company claims. It enjoys huge support from political leaders on both ends of the line, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who extolled its virtues on Jan. 18 at a U.S. Conference of Mayors panel.

“We are going to do everything we can to assist them,” Turner told other mayors during the meeting in Washington. “We don’t want government to get in their way. If they are willing to invest $12-$14 billion of their money, then I believe we should do everything we can to assist them.”

He acknowledged not everyone is as pumped about the bullet train.

“We are not saying it is good for everybody or every region, but for Texas, the Houston region and the Dallas region this high-speed train works for us,” Turner said.

But there’s much more work to be done, company officials said, including more outreach with skeptics.

More than 3,000 families and businesses have signed letters allowing the company to survey as part of environmental assessments, though others have refused to give the company access. In the same statement announcing progress on property purchases, Texas Central said it was withdrawing 17 court cases related to forcing landowners to allow surveyors onto properties. The company said the hope is to find “an amicable approach” to surveys, saying most of the discussions have been productive.

“Conversations with landowners later resulted in a favorable resolution reached out of court in a majority of these instances,” officials said.

Leman said withdrawing the lawsuits is the more significant announcement, noting how vociferously the company sought some of the surveys, citing them as vital to preserving the project.

So far, courts have declined the company’s requests to uphold their right to survey land, though many of the issues remain unresolved by the courts.

“The good news from our perspective is we keep shutting those doors,” Leman said.

He predicted the legislative session will be the “next big battleground” as the company seeks to have state lawmakers affirm some of its rights to use eminent domain, including a remedy to counties that have voted not to issue any construction permits to any entity that doesn’t have eminent domain authority, if the entity is crossing a public street.

Even that, however, might not end the debate, Leman said.

“As long as these consultants can convince the Japanese that there is a chance or likelihood or alternate plan they can pursue, it’ll be alive,” Leman said.