Metro approves $1.46 Billion for 20 miles of light rail

[citykid09]

Christof's schematic, posted above, shows how the METRO rapid transit system will probably look in 2012. The METROExpress and Airport Direct services are bus routes that operate today. There are no immediate plans to replace them with rail, but I assure you they work well as they are.

It's interesting you say that. Even though they are buses, you can still park at Cypress and get most places very easily, provided it is a weekday. The park and ride buses are comfortable and quick and use the HOV lanes during rush hour in the peak direction.

The Uptown line will run at street level on Post Oak Blvd. They will probably use the median space and narrow the travel lanes slightly. It will most likely disrupt traffic flow a bit, but on the other hand almost no one presently uses transit in that area and light rail may lure them aboard. I would imagine many Galleria shoppers wouldn't mind parking elsewhere and riding light rail rather than deal with that traffic and parking.

You must work for METRO, so I will ask you these questions. Please help me to understand why cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, & Charlotte can build light rail lines with their own right of ways, subways, and overhead lines etc, and Houston has to settle for pretty much street car lines? Is Houston not worth a world class system? You guys wanted the Olympics and other big events to come to town, but you don't care to build the proper infrastructure to get the people to even look at Houston. Having tracks placed on streets interfering with traffic is not the answer. Take a look at the video above from Spain of the same trains METRO will use. That is how you do urban transit. I would expect the street car style system in a small METRO area not the 4th largest city/top ten Metro in America. At least place the rails in the HOV lanes like the majority of people are suggesting, since you say subways, overpasses and any other alternative is too expensive (even though somehow other cities are still affording theses features on there systems). Come on METRO THINK!

[musicman]

I expect that they will be running double cars almost immediately after the lines open, why have two cockpits that arent going to be needed?

so they can move both ways without having to build a more expensive system to turn around. metro doesn't always run double cars. more are done at peak only.

[Highway6]

You must work for METRO, so I will ask you these questions. Please help me to understand why cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, & Charlotte can build light rail lines with their own right of ways, subways, and overhead lines etc, and Houston has to settle for pretty much street car lines? Is Houston not worth a world class system?

Will the whining never cease?

[barracuda]

You must work for METRO, so I will ask you these questions. Please help me to understand why cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, & Charlotte can build light rail lines with their own right of ways, subways, and overhead lines etc, and Houston has to settle for pretty much street car lines? Is Houston not worth a world class system? You guys wanted the Olympics and other big events to come to town, but you don't care to build the proper infrastructure to get the people to even look at Houston. Having tracks placed on streets interfering with traffic is not the answer. Take a look at the video above from Spain of the same trains METRO will use. That is how you do urban transit. I would expect the street car style system in a small METRO area not the 4th largest city/top ten Metro in America. At least place the rails in the HOV lanes like the majority of people are suggesting, since you say subways, overpasses and any other alternative is too expensive (even though somehow other cities are still affording theses features on there systems). Come on METRO THINK!

Is the street-level rail still that much of a problem? There was definitely a learning curve when the Main St. rail was built, but I hardly even notice the occasional disruption caused by a passing train when I'm crossing Main, if that's the concern you're referring to. And I actually think there's something more pleasant about riding a train at street level vs. being in a dark, dingy subway.

[citykid09]

Is the street-level rail still that much of a problem? There was definitely a learning curve when the Main St. rail was built, but I hardly even notice the occasional disruption caused by a passing train when I'm crossing Main, if that's the concern you're referring to. And I actually think there's something more pleasant about riding a train at street level vs. being in a dark, dingy subway.

Well if that's the case just keep the buses. Subways and rails that do not run on the street are much faster. What METRO is building in Houston is something smaller cities want. A city the size of Houston deserves better.

[TheNiche]

Is the street-level rail still that much of a problem? There was definitely a learning curve when the Main St. rail was built, but I hardly even notice the occasional disruption caused by a passing train when I'm crossing Main, if that's the concern you're referring to. And I actually think there's something more pleasant about riding a train at street level vs. being in a dark, dingy subway.

Main Street isn't as much of a problem, though, as any other part of the proposed light rail system. There are multiple parallel streets with plenty of capacity, and they're just one block over. There are also some disruptive aspects about crossing the Red Line, such as that the LRT disrupts traffic signal synchronization in Downtown and Midtown, and that it frequently obstructs already-congested intersections such as Fannin & Braeswood and Fannin & 610. The latter can get especially bad during rush hour traffic, particularly in the afternoon. Traffic on Richmond, Post Oak Blvd., or Scott Street just isn't as easy to displace or disrupt as it is on the Main Street portion of the Red Line.

[kdog08]

Please help me to understand why cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, & Charlotte can build light rail lines with their own right of ways, subways, and overhead lines etc, and Houston has to settle for pretty much street car lines? Is Houston not worth a world class system?

Well Dallas and Atlanta used under utilized freight tracks, Houston doesn't have that advantage. Also, their rail's function is different than ours. Our LRT connects Houston's inner activity centers and has many stops. Houston's LRT serves park&riders the function of the last leg of the commute.

[N Judah]

You must work for METRO, so I will ask you these questions. Please help me to understand why cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, & Charlotte can build light rail lines with their own right of ways, subways, and overhead lines etc, and Houston has to settle for pretty much street car lines?

METRO made the mistake of asking for exactly what they wanted, not expecting people to negotiate them down just for the sake of being obstructionist.

[rsb320]

They're demolishing the large warehouse building today where Metro's Intermodal is going to be. I had read where they had been doing asbestos abatement recently and to not be shocked or scared by workers wearing what looked to be space suits.

It looks like they've gotten about half the building knocked down just today. I'll be they finish before dark. It seems like there were two other buildings that will be coming down too.

Please move to correct topic, here - http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=14474

[lockmat]

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County has signed a deal with Parsons Transportion Group for the next phase of Houston

[Urbannizer]

The rendering on the lower left looks to be the Uptown Line, I don't know about the others.

[lockmat]

The rendering on the lower left looks to be the Uptown Line, I don't know about the others.

It's good to see 3 lanes in the galleria rendering.

[citykid09]

It's good to see 3 lanes in the galleria rendering.

Honestly, the other two photos I see are the only ones that make since for rail in Houston (they are off the streets). The one in The Galleria area I think is a stupid Idea. You don't put rail on a crowded street like that. It will be difficult to turn, uturn, etc. I think that they should at least consider above ground or below ground stations for this area.

They are being so Cheap with METRO Rail that I hear that it will have the first ever (world or nation???) rail line crossing that is not separated. Meaning that trains going east and west will have to stop and wait for trains going north and south to pass by and the other way around. You guys can criticize me if you want, but I think Houston is getting the crappiest passenger rail system ever built. When rail was first approved for Houston, I expected a World-Class rail system on par with other major cities, not a 2 car street train scooting along streets and not in its own right of way. I just watched a video of one of the new lines going right down the middle of a street in a suburban style neighborhood with ranch style housing, WTF! That doesn't even look right. I don't blame the people for the NIMBY stuff. It seems as if the people that work for METRO have never been outside of Houston and have never seen an actual passenger rail system work. With all hope completely lost of Houston being a true urban city (You can't be truly urban without the proper rail infrastructure), I can still have hope for other Texas cities like Austin and San Antonio to build world class rail systems in the future. Dallas' has done in right. The only thing I can say about DART Rail is that it is light rail and not a Heavy Rail System, but other than that, its perfect.

I think all construction that has started on the new lines should stop and there should be a complete redesign of the entire system. If I had it my way, the Main street line would be completely removed and moved underground, where a rail system should be in a city the size of Houston.

Okay, where are my critics?

[roadrunner]

Honestly, the other two photos I see are the only ones that make since for rail in Houston (they are off the streets). The one in The Galleria area I think is a stupid Idea. You don't put rail on a crowded street like that. It will be difficult to turn, uturn, etc. I think that they should at least consider above ground or below ground stations for this area.

They are being so Cheap with METRO Rail that I hear that it will have the first ever (world or nation???) rail line crossing that is not separated. Meaning that trains going east and west will have to stop and wait for trains going north and south to pass by and the other way around. You guys can criticize me if you want, but I think Houston is getting the crappiest passenger rail system ever built. When rail was first approved for Houston, I expected a World-Class rail system on par with other major cities, not a 2 car street train scooting along streets and not in its own right of way. I just watched a video of one of the new lines going right down the middle of a street in a suburban style neighborhood with ranch style housing, WTF! That doesn't even look right. I don't blame the people for the NIMBY stuff. It seems as if the people that work for METRO have never been outside of Houston and have never seen an actual passenger rail system work. With all hope completely lost of Houston being a true urban city (You can't be truly urban without the proper rail infrastructure), I can still have hope for other Texas cities like Austin and San Antonio to build world class rail systems in the future. Dallas' has done in right. The only thing I can say about DART Rail is that it is light rail and not a Heavy Rail System, but other than that, its perfect.

I think all construction that has started on the new lines should stop and there should be a complete redesign of the entire system. If I had it my way, the Main street line would be completely removed and moved underground, where a rail system should be in a city the size of Houston.

Okay, where are my critics?

6 months ago I would have disagreed with you. Not now, though.

[UrbaNerd]

I hope they modify the design slightly for the uptown stations; it doesn't go well with the existing arches/bus stops in the area. The colour scheme should at least match that of those new bus stops (satin/grey metal, green glass).

[Urbannizer]

Honestly, the other two photos I see are the only ones that make since for rail in Houston (they are off the streets). The one in The Galleria area I think is a stupid Idea. You don't put rail on a crowded street like that. It will be difficult to turn, uturn, etc. I think that they should at least consider above ground or below ground stations for this area.

They are being so Cheap with METRO Rail that I hear that it will have the first ever (world or nation???) rail line crossing that is not separated. Meaning that trains going east and west will have to stop and wait for trains going north and south to pass by and the other way around. You guys can criticize me if you want, but I think Houston is getting the crappiest passenger rail system ever built. When rail was first approved for Houston, I expected a World-Class rail system on par with other major cities, not a 2 car street train scooting along streets and not in its own right of way. I just watched a video of one of the new lines going right down the middle of a street in a suburban style neighborhood with ranch style housing, WTF! That doesn't even look right. I don't blame the people for the NIMBY stuff. It seems as if the people that work for METRO have never been outside of Houston and have never seen an actual passenger rail system work. With all hope completely lost of Houston being a true urban city (You can't be truly urban without the proper rail infrastructure), I can still have hope for other Texas cities like Austin and San Antonio to build world class rail systems in the future. Dallas' has done in right. The only thing I can say about DART Rail is that it is light rail and not a Heavy Rail System, but other than that, its perfect.

I think all construction that has started on the new lines should stop and there should be a complete redesign of the entire system. If I had it my way, the Main street line would be completely removed and moved underground, where a rail system should be in a city the size of Houston.

Okay, where are my critics?

Great post, The City of Houston nor METRO are'nt thinking clearly at all, I think these new above-ground rail lines will cause more traffic, havoc and make everything worse on the streets, intersections etc. than making things better. Its pretty sad.

[Trae]

Honestly, the other two photos I see are the only ones that make since for rail in Houston (they are off the streets). The one in The Galleria area I think is a stupid Idea. You don't put rail on a crowded street like that. It will be difficult to turn, uturn, etc. I think that they should at least consider above ground or below ground stations for this area.

They are being so Cheap with METRO Rail that I hear that it will have the first ever (world or nation???) rail line crossing that is not separated. Meaning that trains going east and west will have to stop and wait for trains going north and south to pass by and the other way around. You guys can criticize me if you want, but I think Houston is getting the crappiest passenger rail system ever built. When rail was first approved for Houston, I expected a World-Class rail system on par with other major cities, not a 2 car street train scooting along streets and not in its own right of way. I just watched a video of one of the new lines going right down the middle of a street in a suburban style neighborhood with ranch style housing, WTF! That doesn't even look right. I don't blame the people for the NIMBY stuff. It seems as if the people that work for METRO have never been outside of Houston and have never seen an actual passenger rail system work. With all hope completely lost of Houston being a true urban city (You can't be truly urban without the proper rail infrastructure), I can still have hope for other Texas cities like Austin and San Antonio to build world class rail systems in the future. Dallas' has done in right. The only thing I can say about DART Rail is that it is light rail and not a Heavy Rail System, but other than that, its perfect.

I think all construction that has started on the new lines should stop and there should be a complete redesign of the entire system. If I had it my way, the Main street line would be completely removed and moved underground, where a rail system should be in a city the size of Houston.

Okay, where are my critics?

I use to think you were crazy. Now I agree with you.

[Highway6]

Nothing in the plans or expectations of what these rail lines are going to be have changed in the past few years - Why some of you are now "seeing the light" and siding with the official Haif Urban-Elevated-and-Atlanta spokesman, I don't know.

[citykid09]

Nothing in the plans or expectations of what these rail lines are going to be have changed in the past few years - Why some of you are now "seeing the light" and siding with the official Haif Urban-Elevated-and-Atlanta spokesman, I don't know.

LOL! So you're the one responsible for this rail. How long have you been working for METRO?

I wonder if the heads of METRO read HAIF? And if so are they listening to peoples concerns?

[roadrunner]

Nothing in the plans or expectations of what these rail lines are going to be have changed in the past few years - Why some of you are now "seeing the light" and siding with the official Haif Urban-Elevated-and-Atlanta spokesman, I don't know.

The costs have risen significantly since first proposed and with all the funding delays there is no chance that we would have this built in 2013 or even 2014 for that matter.

And honestly, I've been spending a lot of time in Atlanta and Dallas recently, and their systems would blow away our 20 mph train system that interacts with cars. I would rather keep formulating new ideas to improve the transportation system for the city that would be sustainable for the long term rather than put in what may just be a "nice to have" system that does nothing different than our regular city buses.

[Highway6]

The costs have risen significantly since first proposed and with all the funding delays there is no chance that we would have this built in 2013 or even 2014 for that matter.

I agree.. rising costs suck. But citykid wasn't complaining about costs. He was complaining about grade separation, and aesthetics of rail in a suburban neighborhood, etc, etc.

The things he was complaining about yet again have been constants of our rail plan for years... so while i expect it of him, i expect more of others than to all of a sudden agree with him.

[citykid09]

The costs have risen significantly since first proposed and with all the funding delays there is no chance that we would have this built in 2013 or even 2014 for that matter.

And honestly, I've been spending a lot of time in Atlanta and Dallas recently, and their systems would blow away our 20 mph train system that interacts with cars. I would rather keep formulating new ideas to improve the transportation system for the city that would be sustainable for the long term rather than put in what may just be a "nice to have" system that does nothing different than our regular city buses.

Thanks to you and all of the others that understand my points. I just left Atlanta with a lot of Houstonians and while we where there we road MARTA. It was there first time on it and they were all very impressed and envious at the sometime. They did not expect Atlanta to have such a rail system and wondered why Houston doesn't have one.

Okay, Highway 6, I understand the price is rising, but METRO should have thought about that years ago when Houston could have had a true Heavy Rail or Monorail. I'm sure the system Atlanta has cost much less than the light rail Houston has because it was built in the 1970s. But even knowing that the price goes up as time goes on, I would rather delay the plans for the rail in Houston and do it right, then build the crappy street car that they are about to put down. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

[musicman]

They are being so Cheap with METRO Rail that I hear that it will have the first ever (world or nation???) rail line crossing that is not separated.

kinda like this?

[RedScare]

I like our Euro style train system better than urban thuggage subways. Street level stations are safer than subway stations and are easier for pedestrians to get to. Since METRO is more concerned with people with JOBS riding the train, as opposed to unemployed thugs hanging out in subway stations, it makes sense that they would build it at street level. I'm glad they did.

[lockmat]

kinda like this?

good grief do they have a patent on that building style?

[citykid09]

I like our Euro style train system better than urban thuggage subways. Street level stations are safer than subway stations and are easier for pedestrians to get to. Since METRO is more concerned with people with JOBS riding the train, as opposed to unemployed thugs hanging out in subway stations, it makes sense that they would build it at street level. I'm glad they did.

Well let me be the first to tell you, you're not the majority.

Okay, let me ask this. If money was not an object, what kind of rail would you want Houston to have?

[JamesL]

I would rather delay the plans for the rail in Houston and do it right, then build the crappy street car that they are about to put down. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

You're right, citykid, in that we aren't getting real rapid transit. However, I think METRO is to be commended for delivering the most extensive system possible for the money (and y'all can drop the 'you must work for METRO' bs).

Let's face it, Houston had NO history of transit useage. In the eyes of much of the public, the METRO bus system is for poor people who don't have a choice. In the transit world it's all about federal funding, and I don't think there would have been any way for METRO to justify to the feds spending billions and billions on a real rapid transit line. Forget extending it to cover a large area inside the beltway.

The Red Line is surprisingly close to its design capacity at peak hours. If they had the vehicles, they would be running all two-car trains every six minutes at rush hours. The line is ultimately designed for two-car trains every four minutes. With other lines feeding in, I think that kind of frequency will be necessary in not too long. At that point it will be worth considering real rapid transit, perhaps heavy rail underground. Like new subways elsewhere, it would have to be bored deep underground. Maybe we could go for a 'Houston T-Bone' connecting TMC, Downtown, and Uptown with a hub under Greenway and no stops in between.

Anyhow, my point is that the METRO light rail extensions will be useful. They will act as feeders and local circulators into whatever system Houston ends up with in the future. I, for one, would like to see the new lines in the ground asap.

[RedScare]

Well let me be the first to tell you, you're not the majority.

Okay, let me ask this. If money was not an object, what kind of rail would you want Houston to have?

I may or may not represent the majority, but at least I am a resident of METRO's service area. So, if METRO is trying to decide who to listen to, the guy who pays taxes to support the service, and lives on METRO's routes, and rides their buses will probably get more weight than a kid who lives in Brazos County, and who bases his opinions on whether it is 'cool' or 'urban'.

As to how I would do it if money were no object, it would still be at ground level, for the reasons I already stated. It is safer, easier to access, and less expensive to build. I am a taxpayer. I do not advocate spending obscene amounts of money for no reason. Your posts advocate exactly that.The drawing you posted of DART's Mockingbird Station showed that riders have to take escalators over 100 feet down, then walk a few hundred more feet just to get to the platform. On Main Street in Houston, I merely walk 15 feet across one lane of traffic and I am on the platform. I'll take 15 feet over 250 feet every time.

But, it isn't 'cool'.

[Mister X]

I would sure hate for Houston to miss out on the chance to finally become an alpha-town just because our trains are too short and and our rails intersect.

We should all sign an extremely powerful internet petition to FORCE Metro to halt construction, tear up the red line and start all over from scratch. We need cool subways and monorail systems in order to keep up with Atlanta. I'm sure Metro would be willing to throw out all the work they have been doing over the last ten thousand years and force another city election just so we all have a cool way to get to the zoo. Then finally, New York and Chicago will allow us to call ourselves 'urban' and we can sleep easy at night. I just can't stand the thought of people from other cities laughing at the length of our trains.

Yes, I think it is about time we start taking this issue seriously around here! It's obvious that Metro is listening to HAIF and doesn't have so much opposition already that they have nothing better to do than make sure every suburban yahoo on the internet is happy with their current plans.

[citykid09]

You're right, citykid, in that we aren't getting real rapid transit. However, I think METRO is to be commended for delivering the most extensive system possible for the money (and y'all can drop the 'you must work for METRO' bs).

Let's face it, Houston had NO history of transit useage. In the eyes of much of the public, the METRO bus system is for poor people who don't have a choice. In the transit world it's all about federal funding, and I don't think there would have been any way for METRO to justify to the feds spending billions and billions on a real rapid transit line. Forget extending it to cover a large area inside the beltway.

The Red Line is surprisingly close to its design capacity at peak hours. If they had the vehicles, they would be running all two-car trains every six minutes at rush hours. The line is ultimately designed for two-car trains every four minutes. With other lines feeding in, I think that kind of frequency will be necessary in not too long. At that point it will be worth considering real rapid transit, perhaps heavy rail underground. Like new subways elsewhere, it would have to be bored deep underground. Maybe we could go for a 'Houston T-Bone' connecting TMC, Downtown, and Uptown with a hub under Greenway and no stops in between.

Anyhow, my point is that the METRO light rail extensions will be useful. They will act as feeders and local circulators into whatever system Houston ends up with in the future. I, for one, would like to see the new lines in the ground asap.

I hope you are right about the future, but do you really think that Houston will ever go beyond light rail? They might think about it in 75+ years. The Metro is expecting an extra 2 million people by 2020, do you actually think that the light rails they are building will be able to handle those people? In the future cars will become less important in the way we get around. People will go to areas where they are able to live without a car and Houston won't be one of those places. Redscare, do you really think these 2 car street trains will be able to accommodate 7-8 plus million potential riders? And no its not about aesthetics, its about fitting the proper type of passenger rail in Houston. The citizens of Houston want a rail system they can ride around town without delays from street traffic, lights, and other rail. The rulers of Houston seem to always think they know what the people want but they don't. They always say, "Houston's to hot people won't walk." "Houston's a car city, no one will ride rail." And none of its true. If Houston doesn't change, it will NOT be able to compete with other cities and will decline in the future. Cars may have been the new wave of the future in the 1950s on forward, but heading in to 2020, its changing and its changing to rail.