The partnerships exemplified by the crowd who attended the meeting at the Longview Public Library will be necessary to bring higher-speed rail to this area, many of the speakers said.

Former Marshall mayor and rail advocate Audrey Kariel kicked off the meeting Friday, noting the presence of representatives of Union Pacific, Amtrak and the Texas Department of Transportation. A number of elected officials and other rail supports from cities around East Texas and Louisiana also were at the meeting. -- 2/12