Culberson And METRO Reach Compromise

[nativehoustonion]

The Houston Tomorrow meeting is this Thursday at Rudyards y'all all come!  W have a lot to talk about Culberson.

[BigFootsSocks]

As long as they aren't women..... or anything other than white. I mean, that's the way our founders envisioned it.

/troll

Almost got me.

[mfastx]

Why not?

 

METRO just doesn't have enough money, the vote to continue the General Mobility payments that passed last election was a big blow to rail expansion in the near future.  

[Naviguessor]

Oh please you live in burbs which you cannot even vote. What a waste of money to vote, but it will pass. I live 2 miles from Downtown so I can ride the rail or the bus and we get there quicker then driving. $1.50 each way hey! There are three big parties in Midtown tonight. I will use METRO of Uber. Do you remember we had to revote the RED Line? It now has 40,000 customers per day.

[BigFootsSocks]

METRO just doesn't have enough money, the vote to continue the General Mobility payments that passed last election was a big blow to rail expansion in the near future.

But if voters approve the use of federal funds for this project, couldn't METRO do whatever it is they did toget the fed to pay for the Green (orPurple?) line?

[houstontexasjack]

If METRO gets a provision on the ballot, they would be wise to win the fight on how the proposal is worded on the ballot. I agree that their best bet would be to shoot for a measure on the 2016 November general election ballot. It will be a presidential election year, when turnout tends to be much higher. Harris County tends to vote bluer and, correspondingly, more pro-rail, in presidential election years (aside: this leads to great frustration for lawyers because we often lose a lot of good judges due to the change of the political winds).

[mfastx]

But if voters approve the use of federal funds for this project, couldn't METRO do whatever it is they did toget the fed to pay for the Green (orPurple?) line?

 

The Feds only payed for half the cost of those lines, METRO still has to pay for the other half. 

 

There will be a massive anti-rail campaign whenever this thing eventually does come to a vote.  Just saying we aren't out of the woods yet, it is still more than likely that this line won't be built for quite some time. 

[cloud713]

I thought one of those lines recieved federal funding (southeast line?), while Metro paid for the east end(?) line in full

[Sunstar]

I read somewhere that the agreement included building commuter rail on US 90 Alternate from Sugar Land to North East Houston. First time I had ever heard of that proposed route.

[Luminare]

http://www.chron.com/news/transportation/article/Metro-Culberson-announce-agreement-on-transit-6270486.php

 

Gotta hand it to the guy for being a really really good politican. People actually think he is the good guy in all this

 

He is calling this a "historic breakthrough".

[Slick Vik]

More details on this.

1. Culberson will try to get $300 million in federal funds for buses, park and ride shelters, and HOV lane maintenance/construction

2. Culberson says the 90 commuter rail is the first rail priority

3. Culberson will speed up legislative action making the metro board 11 members instead of 9, giving the counties a majority over the city

4. Culberson will try to get $587 million federal funds for 90a commuter line

I wonder about point 3. If the board changes before a vote for university line I wonder if it will ever go through.

[cloud713]

dude. screw the 90A line.. thats an out for Culberson to seem like he cares about the people, but the ridership on that line would be pathetic. its hardly the "top priority" line in the entire Houston area.. id rather see rail to Galveston built before a freaking 90A line.

[cloud713]

.

[mollusk]

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall of whatever room the horse trading took place in.  

 

I have to wonder just what The Gentleman is getting (or believes he is getting) in return.  The optimist in me hopes that people with sacks of cash who listen to the likes of Gerald Hines finally came to the conclusion that sending money elsewhere was not a good idea, and raised the idea of perhaps backing someone more... amenable in The Gentleman's place.

[BigFootsSocks]

He could've realized that the new TCR line would have the potential to act as a commuter line anyway, and that there was no way to avoid this issue any longer.

[sdotwill84]

I actually think the 90A line is a good place to start. Sugar land/Missouri City/Richmond/Rosenberg/Alief commuters will use this. Freeing up traffic on 59(69) north in the morning and on 59(69) south in the evening. Relieving some pain around 610/Galleria and the downtown 45/59/288 merger during those same times as well.

 

Just my guess though. I'm just happy something within the commuter/mass transit arena is being done in Houston....finally.

[Luminare]

for reference:

 

[ADCS]

I actually think the 90A line is a good place to start. Sugar land/Missouri City/Richmond/Rosenberg/Alief commuters will use this. Freeing up traffic on 59(69) north in the morning and on 59(69) south in the evening. Relieving some pain around 610/Galleria and the downtown 45/59/288 merger during those same times as well.

 

Just my guess though. I'm just happy something within the commuter/mass transit arena is being done in Houston....finally.

 

The 90A line is pointless unless it goes directly to Sugar Land, and doesn't stop short in Missouri City. At some point, if expansion is what's desired, you have to start looking at the constituencies served by the line - specifically the ones with enough disposable income to support political campaigns.

 

The fastest way to rail expansion in the rest of the area is to have doctors/attorneys/engineers talking about how great it is to be able to take the train in, and raising envy in their colleagues as it's not available to them.

[cloud713]

idk, IMO there are so many better routes to build out before 90A. even going all the way out to Sugar Land. didn't they do a study on the 90A line and determine the ridership would be somewhere in the 4 figure range?

ADCS, you want doctors talking about how great the train is? build rail from Pearland, along 288 to the TMC.

you want attorneys (ok, going out on a limb. not sure where most attorneys are so ill assume uptown) talking about how great the rail is? build the Westpark line..

you want engineers talking about how great the train is? build the i10 line they may or may not have structurally over-engineered the new highway overpasses for to handle the additional weight of trains(?).

but 90A? its a great way to get Sugar Land residents to NRG Park. beyond that, I'm not so sure..

my theory is that if they build the 90A line first and it turns out to have mediocre ridership like i thought the study said it would, people will point to it as "proof" that rail doesn't work in Houston and we won't get a shot at building the lines that we need.

[cloud713]

for reference:

 

what are we looking at here, lum?

[Luminare]

what are we looking at here, lum?

 

We are looking at Culbersons District in relation to 90A. Everything in green is the Texas 7th Congressional District

[ADCS]

idk, IMO there are so many better routes to build out before 90A. even going all the way out to Sugar Land. didn't they do a study on the 90A line and determine the ridership would be somewhere in the 4 figure range?

ADCS, you want doctors talking about how great the train is? build rail from Pearland, along 288 to the TMC.

you want attorneys (ok, going out on a limb. not sure where most attorneys are so ill assume uptown) talking about how great the rail is? build the Westpark line..

you want engineers talking about how great the train is? build the i10 line they may or may not have structurally over-engineered the new highway overpasses for to handle the additional weight of trains(?).

but 90A? its a great way to get Sugar Land residents to NRG Park. beyond that, I'm not so sure..

my theory is that if they build the 90A line first and it turns out to have mediocre ridership like i thought the study said it would, people will point to it as "proof" that rail doesn't work in Houston and we won't get a shot at building the lines that we need.

 

That's my suspicion as well. Al Green's for it because it means construction jobs in his district, but Culberson's for it because he expects it to fail.

[Houston19514]

I'm no big fan of Culberson's (even though I am generally quite conservative and Republican).  I think on this issue he has been some combination of disingenuous and ignorant.  

 

However, can we stop already with the vilification and character assassination?  To be fair, there is PLENTY of blame to go around regarding this (hopefully formerly) dysfunctional relationship and Culberson is hardly the only elected official in the  region to have had complaints about Metro's past management. Is anyone here really denying that Metro has been filled with some combination of arrogance and incompetence?

 

Whatever the source of the problem, it's hard to argue that this is an historic breakthrough.

 

Regarding the 90A commuter rail project.  That has been the highest-priority commuter rail route for years.  I don't know of any study that says it would have low ridership.

 

Interesting info on Metro's website that I had not previously noticed:  Earlier plans for this commuter rail route had it terminating at Fannin South, thus requiring all passengers to transfer to the Red Line.  The plan now appears to have the commuter rail operated with light rail equipment so that it can continue up the Red Line, all the way to Wheeler Station.

[cloud713]

admittedly I'm the one claiming the ridership would be "low".. they just listed numbers.

and keep in mind what happened in this very same area over a decade ago.. a bunch of local (Ft Bend) developers gained support to get the lightly-used Fort Bend Toll Road built down to Missouri City. look at it now.. a decade later and how many cars drive down it each day? less than 20,000.

i do however like the fact they are looking to make the 90A line function with LRT so they can run trains straight up to the TMC (and eventually University Line) instead of making people transfer.

[cloud713]

after doing some research into the new and improved 90A line, i can live with it. but hopefully they have plans to extend it out to Sugar Land.. the LRT-commuter hybrid trains merging into the Red line and carrying passengers directly up to the TMC, Museum District, and University Line are what makes this okay with me. i assume (hope?) they didn't go beyond the University Line because the University Line will maybe have trains turning north up the Red line too and go into downtown, linking Uptown to Downtown, without transfers?

[H-Town Man]

It is amazing that Metro now cannot even build rail on Post Oak Blvd. unless it is approved in a new referendum. The 2003 referendum explicitly authorized rail on Post Oak Blvd.

 

[Houston19514]

admittedly I'm the one claiming the ridership would be "low".. they just listed numbers.

and keep in mind what happened in this very same area over a decade ago.. a bunch of local (Ft Bend) developers gained support to get the lightly-used Fort Bend Toll Road built down to Missouri City. look at it now.. a decade later and how many cars drive down it each day? less than 20,000.

i do however like the fact they are looking to make the 90A line function with LRT so they can run trains straight up to the TMC (and eventually University Line) instead of making people transfer.

 

FWIW, the Ft Bend Parkway is used by more than 20,000 cars per day.  In any event, I'm not sure what your issue with that is.  20,000 cars per day does not strike me as an inconsequential number and the  bond ratings agencies seem okay with it.

[cspwal]

How is a light rail commuter train going to go up the Red line to wheeler station? It will have to stop at all the stations in the Med center, because there's no express rail or passing switches for most of the track. Which means that it'll be similar to the north line extension - some trains during peak hours will turn around at Fannin south, while others go all the way to sugarland/Missouri city. I'm intrigued by the Idea though of what they are wanting to make.

Are there any designs or maps or anything of this?

[Luminare]

It is amazing that Metro now cannot even build rail on Post Oak Blvd. unless it is approved in a new referendum. The 2003 referendum explicitly authorized rail on Post Oak Blvd.

 

Which is why quite honestly they should take this to court or someone should take this to court. This is an example of completely ignoring the voters wishes and through this new deal it should be that by default Metro goes back to the 2003 referendum.

[cloud713]

FWIW, the Ft Bend Parkway is used by more than 20,000 cars per day.  In any event, I'm not sure what your issue with that is.  20,000 cars per day does not strike me as an inconsequential number and the  bond ratings agencies seem okay with it.

because there are corridors in this city moving over 10 times that number of people..? in any event, like i said 2 posts above yours, i no longer have an "issue" with the line, now that the trains will apparently bring people directly up the Red line. i just figure there are many other corridors that would be more justifiable for the "highest priority rail line".