Design Charrette: Houston Rail/Texas Rail

[cloud713]

Cloud, no offense taken at all. A charrette is to bounce varying ideas off one another to arrive at an even better concept. I'm not sure that I'd make so large of a park on such prime real estate. And so close to a freeway no less. Underground parking a la Discovery Green would be a plus however.  You know who would use such a park though? Transients. And put the bus depot there too? Traveling via high speed rail is very luxurious, people will not be traveling via Greyhound in order to take the HSR to Dallas. You are right I think in preserving a view corridor. Designing the St. Emmanuel extension in my site plan as a linear park boulevard to preserve the downtown views would be a great addition without creating a vast parkland area that I believe would attract an unfriendly element.

 

Just rambling a bit, I believe the mall concept is not beyond feasibility. My inspiration comes from Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall. Very much an urban concept, 5 stories tall, street level retail, parking garages, two anchors (including a Nordstrom). In the heart of downtown Anchorage, 5th Avenue Mall doesn't disrupt the street level character, it adds to the fabric. Look at Google street view to see how lively the surrounding area is. What better concept to greet travelers and tourists alike?

 

My thinking is this: traveler arrives via HSR from Dallas for week long convention at GRB and intends on staying at a downtown hotel. If traveler intends on using LRT he/she will walk to the EaDO/Stadium station via enclosed skywalk (hot, rainy, etc.) or along the street. Commercially it makes sense to have store fronts along both corridors and to have both enclosed and outdoor options. A clear, well signed, interesting, friendly, walkable route is a must. People don't want complications. At the same time, actually having the traveler have to travel a short distance does open up the possibilities for retail, where HSR to LRT direct connect would not.

 

Street level retail spread throughout downtown is a great thought, but at the same time planners should not overlook why people love going to places like the Galleria or The Woodlands Mall even to this day. Malls aren't dying, poorly planned and designed malls are dying. What better location for a mall could there be? All four sides of the location would have heavy usage--convention, two sports stadiums, and a transit hub. Three major mass transit links via the two LRT lines and the HSR line. Major road connections in US 59, Texas/Harrisburg, and Navigation. While in the short run a mall would likely take away some street level retail for downtown, in the long run a highly popular, well visited mall would create even more demand than would have existed otherwise--look at Uptown if you need an example.   

 

i guess i just dont see it as being "such prime real estate" considering right now its a just couple very large and underused surface parking lots for the two stadiums. plus Discovery Green gets too overrun with large events and doesnt have enough time for the grass to grow back, so another large park would help alleviate that. agreed, underground parking would be awesome. i dont see why it would be "transients" who use this park, yet Discovery Green isnt overrun by transients..? surely there would need to be some light security presence around the park, but thats not unusual for areas in inner cities. i dont think you understand the "bus depot". its not supposed to be for greyhound. if they were on greyhound already why wouldnt they just take the bus to Dallas? its for METRO busses. because not everyone in Houston lives near the 3 light rail lines... i agree HSR is "luxurious". i still dont understand why that park is going to be overrun by transients, but Discovery Green, and the Sister Cities Plaza(?) park/corridor south of BBVA wont attract transients. just get a few security guards on bikes/segway/foot to patrol the area if it becomes a problem.

interesting inspiration. ive been to Anchorage before. its a touristy town, with not much outside of the city. downtown is THE spot in the city. Houston is not developed in the same way. for one, we arent really a tourist town. we also are sprawled across 8(?) counties, with countless hot spots of urban activity across the metro. theGalleria does so well because its surrounded by such a large high income population. a mall in EaDo does not have the same luxury. there is a very minimal draw of nearby high income shoppers, without making them drive across the city, in which case they might as well go to theGalleria or somewhere else closer than EaDo. dont get me wrong, i love the idea, and wish GreenStreet would become a little more urban, but i just dont see something like 5th Ave Mall being able to sustain itself in that area for the next few decades/until the east end and near north side fully gentrifies..

true.. i would have retractable horizontal roman shades above my walkways through the corridors between developments. potentially an underground tunnel for hot/nasty weather, but id rather not bring the people underground/miss the "grand entrance" to Houston.

agreed with the last paragraph..

 

As an aside, if planners were truly imaginative and wanted to preserve a spectacular view of downtown for arriving HSR travelers, they would put the HSR station on top of the GRB.

heh. you know im down with this. im the one who has been proposing repurposing the roof of the GRB CC into a TopGolf and sports complex for so long everyone in here is probably sick of hearing about it. lol..

[BigFootsSocks]

As an aside, if planners were truly imaginative and wanted to preserve a spectacular view of downtown for arriving HSR travelers, they would put the HSR station on top of the GRB.

. Can you explain your reasoning behind this? Is it because of it's close proximity to all of the event spaces around it? I assume it would create a pretty solid urban core but I like to think this area already has the potential to develop into that. Wouldn't you rather they place it somewhere that it can position itself to be the catalyst for another strong and "lively" urban center?

[Sparrow]

. Can you explain your reasoning behind this? Is it because of it's close proximity to all of the event spaces around it? I assume it would create a pretty solid urban core but I like to think this area already has the potential to develop into that. Wouldn't you rather they place it somewhere that it can position itself to be the catalyst for another strong and "lively" urban center?

 

Speaking solely in relation to Cloud's suggestion of a downtown skyline view corridor to greet HSR arrivals. No doubt about it he's right that something should be incorporated onto the top of the GRB whether it be a HSR station, Top Golf, soccer fields, helicopter tours, or something else. Houston doesn't have too many views to take in, we should take advantage of those we do have. Wouldn't it be something to add on to the cruise ship theme and add an entertainment deck on top--we do everything bigger here in Texas, why not "make" the world's largest cruise ship. But I digress, getting off topic.

[DNAguy]

As far as the signature downtown stations I'd like to see combine HSR, commuter, light rail, buses, and street cars there really is only two real places to consider:

 

1.) Current downtown post office 

or

2.) Hardy Yards

 

The post office site has some advantages that Hardy doesn't and visa versa. What are the advantages of one site vs another as you guys and gals see them?

 

[cloud713]

Hardy yards - direct light rail access

Post office site - actually in downtown..

[lithiumaneurysm]

Sorry if I'm a bit late to this game, but here's the rail and bus plan I've been working on for the past couple of weeks. Orange is commuter/heavy rail, blue is light rail, yellow is BRT:

 

 

You can also download a .kmz file for Google Earth here, which includes some hypothetical stations as well.

 

I've tried to make this plan as realistic as possible considering the myriad of constraints that METRO and the city are forced to operate in when it comes to public transit. The commuter and light rail lines make use of existing freight rail ROWs, undeveloped tracts of land and avenues with wide medians. The BRT lines are designed to service high-density areas with roads that, again, are probably wide enough to incorporate them.

 

Using the metro systems of well-developed cities (like London and Paris) as references, I've tried to constrain light rail to within the Loop. I've only added one completely new light rail line to METRO's existing and proposed five – the Heights line. In the aforementioned cities, the commuter and subway systems are integrated so that travelers use commuter to from the suburbs then transfer to the underground/light rail for service to the inner-city. Light rail would be inefficient outside the Loop as density drops and speed becomes more of a concern than accessibility. It's unreasonable to expect a commuter to take a light rail line from IAH to Downtown, for example – that would be far too slow and many areas between the Loop and Beltway 8 are sparsely developed.

 

The foundation of this system is the nine commuter rail lines that radiate out of the Loop:

• Katy Line: replaces the Katy Freeway toll lanes. Runs from the Somerset Green to a new transit center near Katy Mills Mall.
• Woodlands / North Line: runs up the Hardy Toll Road to Greenspoint, then replaces the North Freeway HOV lanes to the Woodlands. Includes a spur line that services the airport.
• Westpark Line: follows the Westpark Tollway out to Cinco Ranch. Begins at the Uptown TC.
• Hempstead Line: follows the Hempstead Highway out to Cypress. Begins at Somerset Green.
• Galveston Line: follows freight ROW from Downtown to Interstate 45, replaces HOV lanes out to NASA Road 1, then follows freight ROW to Galveston.
• Highway 90 / Sugar Land Line: a commuter line that is already being considered by METRO and H-GAC. Runs along existing freight ROW parallel to Hwy. 90 out to Sugar Land.
• Pearland Line: a short line that runs from the South Fannin TC to the western suburbs of Pearland, utilizing the wide 288 median. I'm a bit skeptical about the practicality of this line.
• Bellaire Line: one of the most important lines in the system, the Bellaire Line provides an essential north-south connection between the Sugar Land, Westpark, Katy and Hempstead lines. This runs along an existing freight / utility ROW from the Sugar Land line up to Somerset Green. 
• Washington Line: the shortest line in the system, running down the existing freight line ROW from Somerset Green to Downtown. Probably one of the busiest as well, since it connects the Bellaire, Katy and Hempstead lines with the Galveston and Woodlands lines.

The lines converge at five "nodes" which act as the main transfer points for commuters coming from the suburbs into the Loop (or vice-versa). These are marked with stars in the .kmz file:

• The Park Place roundabout at the Gulf Freeway
• South Fannin TC
• Uptown TC
• Somerset Green (stealing the name from that new Hines development because I'm too lazy to think of anything else)
• Downtown

A commuter arriving at any of these five nodes should be able to easily access a large number of other areas in the metro area. Centralizing rail and bus service at these locations makes the act of transferring between lines much simpler and overall navigation of the system less complicated. The main node – Downtown – is located where the current post office is. This is a prime location because it provides easy access to Downtown and the light rail system, and it's the site of a future walkable mixed-use development – a "gateway" of sorts to the central business district.

 

However, this system (or any proposed metro system for Houston) won't work without ample bus service reaching into the depths of the suburbs, providing as direct a connection as possible between suburban neighborhoods and the commuter rail lines. A good example of this model working in a low-density city can be found in Perth, Australia (coincidentally one of Houston's international sister cities): although the rail component of their metro system is only comprised of five lines radiating out of the city center, high ridership is achieved through a comprehensive bus network that services the suburban sprawl. Maps of the Perth bus system can be found on page 14 of this report, which also notes that "84.7% of Perth properties are within 500m [0.3 mile] of a Transperth service." This high degree of accessibility makes it easy to hop on a bus, transfer onto a rail line and travel into the city. The BRT lines I've included in this plan attempt to address the accessibility issue by providing localized, high-frequency routes that commuters can follow to transfer onto the main commuter lines. When it comes to suburban service, I prefer BRT for its flexibility with the existing bus system, relative ease of construction and inexpensive nature. Of course, the BRT lines I've created are only a piece of the puzzle – they're supposed to provide an alternative to traffic on heavily traveled arterial roads. METRO will need additional funding for its existing bus network to allow for expansion into areas further outside the city. Traditional bus routes that follow unmodified surface roads are undoubtedly part of this plan, although they aren't on the map above.

 

This system should also make extensive use of Houston's well-constructed Park & Ride system. In a city as sprawling and low-density as Houston, it's unreasonable to expect that the bus network could reach every single neighborhood (unless the government suddenly has a desire to spend immense amounts of money). For those who are too out of the way to access a bus – which would probably be a very large number of people – P&R is the next best thing. I've tried to incorporate existing P&Rs into the commuter rail network, but METRO should probably construct more of them if something like this were actually going to be implemented.

 

There are a number of problems with this system that will need to be addressed:

• Walkability. It is extremely difficult for a public transit system to succeed without some level of walkability involved, which is very unfortunate for auto-dependent metropolises like Houston and Dallas. Urban planner Jeff Speck notes in his book Walkable City that the low ridership on the Dallas DART system is in large part due to the failure of planners to properly incorporate pedestrian accessibility when configuring routes and designing stations. Commuters in Houston are not going to use the system if they're going to be dumped in dilapidated/industrial areas or onto extra-wide traffic-clogged roads without sidewalks or dedicated pedestrian crossings. Making stations friendly to walkers is an essential part of making public transit preferable to driving. The city has to go out of its way to ensure pedestrians can access the areas they're using the system to get to, especially when it comes to mixed-use developments. For example, someone getting off at the Memorial City station on the Katy Line should be able to use a pedestrian tunnel or bridge to access the mall directly from the station, without having to interact whatsoever with the wide, hot, heavily trafficked Katy Freeway feeder roads.
• Speed. In order to attract riders, this system needs to beat rush hour traffic. I'd encourage METRO to start an all out advertising blitz showing the benefits of commuter rail as opposed to driving. In addition, the number of stations along each line needs to be balanced with the need to get commuters into and out of the city speedily. 
• This system doesn't really address large swaths of the east side of the city. I don't know much about places like the Fifth Ward or Pasadena, and I didn't really notice any viable ROWs that commuter lines could be placed on to access these areas. It would be unfair to deny these parts of the metro access to a quality transportation network. In addition, there's no link to Kingwood.
• There is a serious lack of north-south transfer lines. This is due to the nature of Houston's existing freeway system – a radial freeway / beltway system, as opposed to a grid – which simply is not suited for the multiple business districts that the city has developed. If all commerce were centered on Downtown this wouldn't be as much of an issue, but since business districts are so haphazardly scattered around the metro, commuters on this system would need to transfer more often – and nobody wants to ride a train all the way into Downtown just to transfer between lines. The Bellaire Line is so important for this reason. I'd like to add another north-south line on the westside of the city, but the ROW doesn't seem to be readily available. I'm also concerned about what I see as a lack of service to the Spring/Cypress/FM 1960 and Katy Prairie suburbs.
• The Pearland Line is short, travels through undeveloped areas and doesn't even service much of Pearland in the first place. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, regardless of how well-suited Highway 288's wide median is to mass transit.

I'll probably be expanding on/rethinking this plan as time goes on. It's always a work in progress!

[mollusk]

 

•  In addition, there's no link to Kingwood.

 

That one's easy to fix.  Just continue the IAH spur east along Will Clayton (plenty of median there), then hang a left to go north up the 59/69 HOV lanes out to Deadwood (The Leaveable Forest*).

 

 

*(h/t my brother in law who lived there for a while).

[lithiumaneurysm]

That one's easy to fix.  Just continue the IAH spur east along Will Clayton (plenty of median there), then hang a left to go north up the 59/69 HOV lanes out to Deadwood (The Leaveable Forest*).

 

 

*(h/t my brother in law who lived there for a while).

 

haha, that's a good idea. Added the rail link so that people can leave more quickly. Also made a few other changes:

 

 

I decided to get rid of the original Pearland line and replace it with the Fresno line, which should service the growing west end of that area. The new Pearland line runs along the Spur 5 ROW, branching off of the Galveston line. This allows for a potential expansion down to Friendswood. In addition, I've extended the Hwy. 90 / Sugar Land Line to connect with the new Pearland line. This creates a loop around central Houston, which allows for better accessibility to George Bush Intercontinental from the southern suburbs and makes transferring between lines less of a hassle. This also creates a sixth node at South Union (near the existing Southeast Line OST/South Union station). A more detailed .kmz file is here.

 

I also created a rough-yet-cool-looking metro map with (probably unprofitable) fare zones:

 

[mkultra25]

That one's easy to fix.  Just continue the IAH spur east along Will Clayton (plenty of median there), then hang a left to go north up the 59/69 HOV lanes out to Deadwood (The Leaveable Forest*).

 

 

*(h/t my brother in law who lived there for a while).

 

One of the regulars at a bar I used to hang out at some years ago was a resident. He frequently referred to it as "Kingweed: The Smokable Forest".

 

Judging from some of the novel-length entries for Kingwood at Urban Dictionary, I'm guessing that not much has changed there since then. 

[cloud713]

haha, that's a good idea. Added the rail link so that people can leave more quickly. Also made a few other changes:

 

 

I decided to get rid of the original Pearland line and replace it with the Fresno line, which should service the growing west end of that area. The new Pearland line runs along the Spur 5 ROW, branching off of the Galveston line. This allows for a potential expansion down to Friendswood. In addition, I've extended the Hwy. 90 / Sugar Land Line to connect with the new Pearland line. This creates a loop around central Houston, which allows for better accessibility to George Bush Intercontinental from the southern suburbs and makes transferring between lines less of a hassle. This also creates a sixth node at South Union (near the existing Southeast Line OST/South Union station). A more detailed .kmz file is here.

 

I also created a rough-yet-cool-looking metro map with (probably unprofitable) fare zones:

 

doood.. great work. though i would rather keep the original 288 line (as a resident of 288 South, i am biased towards this though. heh) and just add an old Pearland route down Spur 5. but the Metro Map is fantastic. question. why didnt you extend the Uptown LRT line to the Northwest TC? and i LOVE your Bellaire commuter rail line connecting 90A to the Westpark Line, all the way north to the Hempstead Line. i implemented this idea in some of my transit maps posted somewhere in here, but my only concern was the residents of places like Afton Oaks opposing more rail lines built along side the current freight lines.

[lithiumaneurysm]

doood.. great work. though i would rather keep the original 288 line (as a resident of 288 South, i am biased towards this though. heh) and just add an old Pearland route down Spur 5. but the Metro Map is fantastic. question. why didnt you extend the Uptown LRT line to the Northwest TC? and i LOVE your Bellaire commuter rail line connecting 90A to the Westpark Line, all the way north to the Hempstead Line. i implemented this idea in some of my transit maps posted somewhere in here, but my only concern was the residents of places like Afton Oaks opposing more rail lines built along side the current freight lines.

 

Thanks man! Really you could exchange the Fulton Line for the original 288 line, it wouldn't make that much of a difference in terms of populations served. I think the map is a little confusing with regard to the Uptown LRT – it does connect with the Northwest TC, which is on the Katy Line. I think you were looking at the Northwest station directly north of the TC on the Hempstead Line, which would be in the vicinity of Northwest Mall.

 

The Bellaire Line is the most important one! If this plan were ever going to happen (one can dream, right?) it would have to be the first or second one constructed. It really ties everything together. I did take into consideration the fact that some of the wealthier parts of town would be opposed to public transit. That's why I didn't really connect the Memorial Villages or River Oaks to even a simple BRT line... chances are they just wouldn't have that. But the Bellaire line passes along a utility ROW that's already pretty well concealed from River Oaks and Afton Oaks, and it's not like it's a particularly attractive stretch of land in the first place. Until recently it seems to have been covered with surface parking. Hopefully that would put off neighborhood opposition, but considering the reception the University Line has gotten over the past few years I could be too optimistic.

[cloud713]

Thanks man! Really you could exchange the Fulton Line for the original 288 line, it wouldn't make that much of a difference in terms of populations served. I think the map is a little confusing with regard to the Uptown LRT – it does connect with the Northwest TC, which is on the Katy Line. I think you were looking at the Northwest station directly north of the TC on the Hempstead Line, which would be in the vicinity of Northwest Mall.

 

The Bellaire Line is the most important one! If this plan were ever going to happen (one can dream, right?) it would have to be the first or second one constructed. It really ties everything together. I did take into consideration the fact that some of the wealthier parts of town would be opposed to public transit. That's why I didn't really connect the Memorial Villages or River Oaks to even a simple BRT line... chances are they just wouldn't have that. But the Bellaire line passes along a utility ROW that's already pretty well concealed from River Oaks and Afton Oaks, and it's not like it's a particularly attractive stretch of land in the first place. Until recently it seems to have been covered with surface parking. Hopefully that would put off neighborhood opposition, but considering the reception the University Line has gotten over the past few years I could be too optimistic.

oops, yeah i meant the Northwest Station at/near the Northwest Mall. i figured it could serve as a short cut link from the Hempstead line to Uptown.

agreed the "Bellaire line" is pretty important.

what street is the LRT going down to get to Hobby? Broadway? ive always dreamed of rail coming down the median of Broadway straight to the front entrance of Hobby. heh..

[lithiumaneurysm]

oops, yeah i meant the Northwest Station at/near the Northwest Mall. i figured it could serve as a short cut link from the Hempstead line to Uptown.

agreed the "Bellaire line" is pretty important.

what street is the LRT going down to get to Hobby? Broadway? ive always dreamed of rail coming down the median of Broadway straight to the front entrance of Hobby. heh..

 

That's a good point. It could just run up that stretch of N. Post Oak. I'll add it to the map.

 

haha yep, the LRT does cut straight down Broadway. Every time I drive down that road I think of how perfect it would be for a light rail connection

[cloud713]

The Upper Kirby subway line - revisited

Ok so now that we have Hanovers new 38ish story tower planned, the proposed Kirby Collection, the rumored redevelopment of the shopping center at Richmond and Kirby, of course along with West Ave I and II, wanting to build a Phase III, 2727 Kirby, The Huntington, ect.. I think it's time to look at a solution to the coming Upper Kirby traffic issues. Mine is a subway from Holcome/Bellaire, through Rice Village, Upper Kirby, and River Oaks, before popping out at/just past Shepherd and linking up with a surface Memorial express rail line, linking the Upper Kirby line (and Post Oak) directly to Downtown. Surface light rail is an option on Kirby I guess, but i don't see River Oaks residents allowing trains to roll up and down the streets, plus Kirby could probably use all the room possible for figure road expansion instead of having rail take up 2-3 lanes.

[Sky-guy]

I'd have light rail along Kirby from Reliant/NRG park (where it would intersect with the red line) until Wallenberg Parkway to dountown where it would end where the green/purple lines start. But, if have it go underground while going through West University(?) and river oaks.

[Sky-guy]

I can't edit my post for some reason. I meant Allen PKWY, not Wallenberg.

[nonenadazilch]

Sorry if I'm a bit late to this game, but here's the rail and bus plan I've been working on for the past couple of weeks. Orange is commuter/heavy rail, blue is light rail, yellow is BRT:

 

...

I'll probably be expanding on/rethinking this plan as time goes on. It's always a work in progress!

 

 

Nice to see such an example of thought & foresight concerning rail implementation.  Perhaps someone knowledgeable could augment your excellent post with even rough cost or funding scenarios. 

 

Since there seems to be momentum from the private sector for high-speed rail linking Houston-Dallas, perhaps local officials in Harris County could persuade Texas Central Railway to steer the bullet train from its College Station stop as it enters the Houston metro area and terminate in downtown instead of the Galleria.  State official Todd Houghton suggests the current plan has CS as the bullet train's single stop and the Galleria be the Houston terminus.  Why not steer the bullet train from CS to the Woodlands, into IAH, and continue into downtown instead?  Doing so would serve as the de facto Woodlands-IAH-downtown commuter line.  Imagine the cost savings impact to the entire regional rail plan if TCR offers more consideration of Houston's needs. 

 

Though the outlays to build appear to be 100% private, Houghton's comments appear to indicate that the state advocates it but it seems only fair that the state ought to consider the Houston region once the fast train enters the northern suburbs.  As it currently stands, TCR's scenario excludes this enormous opportunity.  Perhaps a Metro or federal funding component could simultaneously help offset TCR's costs while addressing north Houston rail demand. 

 

Hopefully, local or state officials have sway and insist TCR's plan gives due consideration to Houston as it does for DFW.

 

 

 

 

 

[Luminare]

From what it seems the guy that this reporter with the Telegram talked to is obviously not someone from higher up as it very much conflicts with the President of Texas Central Railway that he was going to pursue a downtown to downtown connection. I don't mind maybe a stop at the galleria or near it, but it's appeal was that you could get from downtown of one city to another downtown! Until the President himself states that it stops at the Galleria then I will believe it. Until then I'm pretty sure the original plan is still going forward.

[Sparrow]

If light rail were to extend from the terminus of the Purple and Green lines westward toward Uptown and the NW Transit Center, which of the two straight forward choices would be most advantageous and why?

 

Just thinking aloud here for a second, but I would foresee a faster and perhaps cheaper build for a Memorial line that would highlight Houston's park system. But at the same time a line down Washington (or even better perhaps Washington and Center Street??) would likely lead to higher ridership potential and more urban development. Let's be realistic here, you can't build both.

 

Does Metro have any info on a future extension into this area of town? Surely one would think if TCR does opt for a Galleria "area" high speed rail station, Metro would seek to establish a direct Downtown connection.

[lithiumaneurysm]

If light rail were to extend from the terminus of the Purple and Green lines westward toward Uptown and the NW Transit Center, which of the two straight forward choices would be most advantageous and why?

 

Just thinking aloud here for a second, but I would foresee a faster and perhaps cheaper build for a Memorial line that would highlight Houston's park system. But at the same time a line down Washington (or even better perhaps Washington and Center Street??) would likely lead to higher ridership potential and more urban development. Let's be realistic here, you can't build both.

 

Does Metro have any info on a future extension into this area of town? Surely one would think if TCR does opt for a Galleria "area" high speed rail station, Metro would seek to establish a direct Downtown connection.

 

I think I remember seeing some discussion about a Memorial parkway line somewhere on the internet. Seems like the consensus was that it's not really feasible because the parkway itself doesn't have good pedestrian connectivity with surrounding development, but the access to the parks would be a huge bonus.

 

I don't think a line down Washington Ave. itself is possible considering how narrow that ROW is, but one running down the freight line ROW parallel to Washington would be absolutely perfect.

 

A few months ago somebody on either Swamplot or HAIF noticed the weird terminus at the west end of Downtown and asked Metro about it, and they explicitly denied any plans to extend the rail in that direction. I don't think it's really on the drawing board for them, but who knows?

 

Also, here's the "completed" version of my rail plan from above. Not too many changes:

 

The news that TCR wants to build its terminus station near the Galleria does mess things up a bit, though...

[Luminare]

Not exactly. I'm currently working on my Rail plan. If thought out right it could be a really nice idea. I'll probably show some stuff I've been working on later this week.

[morrchr1]

Well all of those (myself included) that saw a possibliity for Houston to really get it right and have a true central station can stop hoping.  Hardy Yards first development is now under construction.

 

http://www.houstonar...project/page-12

 

The problem with this is that while the Post Office site is still available downtown, this was the only location where you could easily see the ROW to the site, as well as it easily tied into the in town transit systems (Light Rail already has a stop there and Busses could easily be added to the area).  Now any downtown station will not have convienent access to the in town rail system, it will be a several block walk through downtown.

[Luminare]

Well all of those (myself included) that saw a possibliity for Houston to really get it right and have a true central station can stop hoping.  Hardy Yards first development is now under construction.

 

http://www.houstonar...project/page-12

 

The problem with this is that while the Post Office site is still available downtown, this was the only location where you could easily see the ROW to the site, as well as it easily tied into the in town transit systems (Light Rail already has a stop there and Busses could easily be added to the area).  Now any downtown station will not have convienent access to the in town rail system, it will be a several block walk through downtown.

 

Welcome to HAIF

 

I wouldn't bet on it. I think they are just keeping it open for access to the infrastructure project. Keep in mind too that even if Hardy Yard's gets redeveloped it won't be anytime soon. We haven't even heard any official announcements and even if they do go forward it won't be all of Hardy Yards. Best not to jump too conclusions. Plus this is a thread to simply design your own Houston Rail as sort of a place to show your ideas. I wouldn't weight yourself down with the thoughts of what those developers have planned....because we don't know.

[xbryanisbeastx]

I have ideas but, I don't really know how to upload them to here. 

[Sparrow]

How about an east side CBD Blue Line?

 

East side development lags in all districts (Downtown, Med Center, Midtown, Northside...). Jumpstart development with a new rail line. If we're ever going to have real density thru our city's core, we can't expect everyone to walk half a mile to the nearest rail station, or for everyone to own a car. Manhattan has several parallel lines. South terminus at Fannin P&R. North terminus at Kelley and Lockwood. Purely speculative line for potential development. Have some developer create a new Greenway Plaza style development along Kelley just north of the loop--land/buyouts should be relatively cheap--prime freeway location. Elysian/Hardy will see even less traffic if the HTR extension ever gets built. 

 

22 stops each direction:

• Fannin P&R
• Holly Hall
• Hepburn
• OST
• Holcombe
• Hermann Park
• Southmore/Binz
• Blodgett/Wheeler
• Alabama
• Elgin/Baldwin Park
• McGowen/Hadley
• Jefferson
• Dallas/Shopping District/Discovery Green
• Texas
• Commerce/Buffalo Bayou Park
• Burnett
• Quitman
• Collingsworth
• Cavalcade
• Jensen
• Hirsch
• Lockwood   

[Sparrow]

How about Green and Purple Line eastward extensions?

 

Continue the Green line along Harrisburg and connect to the airport via Broadway. Would be kinda interesting to see some play on the "Monopoly" theme for the Broadway/Park Place area--make it a place tourists would have to take a picture.

 

7 stops:

• 75th Street
• 80th Street
• Lawndale
• Keller Street
• Monopoly Plaza (transfer station)
• Bellfort
• Hobby Airport/Airport Blvd

Continue the Purple line along Long/Parkplace until Galveston Road. Fewer stops and fewer crossings will allow higher speeds in the rail right-of-way. Transfer station allows for both the Purple and Green lines to facilitate Hobby Airport travel. Main goal here is to connect light rail to biggest Houston tourist attraction--NASA. Stop a short ways away from Space Center Houston to encourage more development in the immediate area--all tourists will have to know is the train gets you to NASA.

 

9 stops:

• South Wayside/Cullinan Park
• Telephone/35
• Monopoly Plaza (transfer station)
• Timbercreek (north of Winkler/Richey)
• Edgebrook
• Fuqua
• Ellington Spaceport
• Bay Area Blvd/El Camino Real
• Space Center Houston/NASA/NASA Parkway/Saturn 

[cloud713]

 

How about an east side CBD Blue Line?

 

East side development lags in all districts (Downtown, Med Center, Midtown, Northside...). Jumpstart development with a new rail line. If we're ever going to have real density thru our city's core, we can't expect everyone to walk half a mile to the nearest rail station, or for everyone to own a car. Manhattan has several parallel lines. South terminus at Fannin P&R. North terminus at Kelley and Lockwood. Purely speculative line for potential development. Have some developer create a new Greenway Plaza style development along Kelley just north of the loop--land/buyouts should be relatively cheap--prime freeway location. Elysian/Hardy will see even less traffic if the HTR extension ever gets built. 

 

22 stops each direction:

• Fannin P&R
• Holly Hall
• Hepburn
• OST
• Holcombe
• Hermann Park
• Southmore/Binz
• Blodgett/Wheeler
• Alabama
• Elgin/Baldwin Park
• McGowen/Hadley
• Jefferson
• Dallas/Shopping District/Discovery Green
• Texas
• Commerce/Buffalo Bayou Park
• Burnett
• Quitman
• Collingsworth
• Cavalcade
• Jensen
• Hirsch
• Lockwood   

 

i love the idea of a east side N/S line, though i dont know that it makes sense to have it go past the Hardy Yards. maybe as a starting point for commuter rail out to IAH along the hardy tollroad and downtown connector.

[jackie21love]

i love the idea of a east side N/S line, though i dont know that it makes sense to have it go past the Hardy Yards. maybe as a starting point for commuter rail out to IAH along the hardy tollroad and downtown connector.

It would be great for Houston to add any lines in anywhere.