East End METRORail

[AggieTailG8r]

I have seen the general map of the new light rail but was wondering if anyone knew any specifics as to which roads the light rail would take over in the east end. I am curious because I am about to purchase a townhome (possibly in east end) and would like to purchase as close to the rail as possible. Thanks for any information.

[musicman]

out harrisburg to the magnolia transit station.

[Houston19514]

You can get the map at Metro Solutions

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I have seen the general map of the new light rail but was wondering if anyone knew any specifics as to which roads the light rail would take over in the east end. I am curious because I am about to purchase a townhome (possibly in east end) and would like to purchase as close to the rail as possible. Thanks for any information.

You want to live NEAR the light rail?!?

I hope AftonAg doesn't see this thread!

[CALMSP]

who wouldnt want to live next to the rail with gas at these prices!!!

[TheNiche]

who wouldnt want to live next to the rail with gas at these prices!!!

I'd far rather live adjacent to freight rail than adjacent to light rail. Give me at least several hundred feet of distance from the LRT station. Too many po' people gathering in one place is a recipe for property crime in addition to vagrancy and panhandling. This seems to be the Red Line experience in Midtown, anyway.

Besides, the whiny high-pitched LRT horn is frickin' annoying as hell. ...not to mention that the LRT doesn't (and won't) go anywhere that I'd want to.

[musicman]

Too many po' people gathering in one place is a recipe for property crime in addition to vagrancy and panhandling. This seems to be the Red Line experience in Midtown, anyway.

and they say i stir it up. LOL

[Jax]

not to mention that the LRT doesn't (and won't) go anywhere that I'd want to

Where do you want to go? Not Downtown, the TMC, or Reliant Park obviously. And not Uptown, Greenway, UH, or the East End in the future. I'm just trying to figure out where you would want it to go... Greenspoint? Sugarland? In those cases you might want to consider commuter rail, not light rail.

[Trae]

I'd far rather live adjacent to freight rail than adjacent to light rail. Give me at least several hundred feet of distance from the LRT station. Too many po' people gathering in one place is a recipe for property crime in addition to vagrancy and panhandling. This seems to be the Red Line experience in Midtown, anyway.

Besides, the whiny high-pitched LRT horn is frickin' annoying as hell. ...not to mention that the LRT doesn't (and won't) go anywhere that I'd want to.

Oh really? Tell that to all of those TOD's, which are hot developments right now across America. People want to live next to rail stations.

[20thStDad]

I wish I had the option of riding to work, but that's not going to happen any time soon. Gas prices blow.

[wernicke]

I currently live 3 blocks away from Ensemble/HCC, ride the Red Line to TMC everyday and love it... the people the rail stops attract in Midtown never bother me one bit.

[CALMSP]

I'd far rather live adjacent to freight rail than adjacent to light rail. Give me at least several hundred feet of distance from the LRT station. Too many po' people gathering in one place is a recipe for property crime in addition to vagrancy and panhandling. This seems to be the Red Line experience in Midtown, anyway.

Besides, the whiny high-pitched LRT horn is frickin' annoying as hell. ...not to mention that the LRT doesn't (and won't) go anywhere that I'd want to.

Well I'm not saying right next to it, but within 3-4 blocks so you can easily walk.

[Jax]

I live about 4 blocks from a Metro Rail stop and I ride it to Rice and the TMC every few days (I have classes in both campuses), and downtown about once per week for beer and movies. I wouldn't mind living closer than 4 blocks but I like where I live. The people at the rail stops don't bother me either. The people who make me a bit uncomfortable are the ones hanging out by the Greyhound station in midtown, not the Metro Rail stations.

[ricco67]

I live about 4 blocks from a Metro Rail stop and I ride it to Rice and the TMC every few days (I have classes in both campuses), and downtown about once per week for beer and movies. I wouldn't mind living closer than 4 blocks but I like where I live. The people at the rail stops don't bother me either. The people who make me a bit uncomfortable are the ones hanging out by the Greyhound station in midtown, not the Metro Rail stations.

Let's not forget that Metro Police has been very good about stationing themselves around the stops to just keep an eye on things.

[Jax]

Maybe we need a Greyhound police too!

[ricco67]

Maybe we need a Greyhound police too!

No, what they need is to hire police to work outside as well and try to get rid of some of those hustlers there. I'm sure if 2016 Main, McDonalds, Greyhound, and that Mexican Bus service (Which is amazingly clean) to chip in for security in the area, that would help out that area considerably.

Getting back on topic and a bit of news, I recently found out that the Main line is currently at 95% capacity!

[wernicke]

Getting back on topic and a bit of news, I recently found out that the Main line is currently at 95% capacity!

What does 95% of capacity mean exactly? I am amazed at how many riders are on the train at 5 AM (frequently standing-room only)... seems like a huge number of TMC construction workers ride the train from downtown.

[ricco67]

I heard the number immediately after the 95% and I was too stunned to remember what the number was, but I might be mistaken. I THINK they said 45,000 a day. I'm absolutely positive about the 95% number, but not so much on the 45k.

What strikes me is how when I see it at the slower parts of the day, it's at maybe 50% capacity or less.

[TheNiche]

Where do you want to go? Not Downtown, the TMC, or Reliant Park obviously. And not Uptown, Greenway, UH, or the East End in the future. I'm just trying to figure out where you would want it to go... Greenspoint? Sugarland? In those cases you might want to consider commuter rail, not light rail.

For me to use it, it'd have to deliver me within about a third of a mile of where I work and not take twice the time per mile as if I were to drive or use an absurdly circuituitous path. You must understand...I get less than four hours of sleep each weekday and I'm not sacrificing five minutes of time to be able to pay to use a toy train.

Downtown: I'm not an employee there, I don't go to many games or conventions, and when I do, I typically leave from work, which isn't (and won't ever be) along LRT service.

Uptown: I'm not an employee there, I don't blow my money on overpriced restaurants and bars, and prefer to shop at Wal-Mart or Target to the Galleria.

Greenway: I'm not an employee there and don't blow my money on the crappy movies they put out nowadays.

UH: I was a student there but am not anymore. I am not inclined to return for grad school as such a course of action fails to pay for itself on an NPV basis.

East End: I'm there several times per week. Although one or both of my typical destinations are close enough to use the line, they are directly across the line from one another, so even if I were to walk (which I don't), I wouldn't be inclined to use the LRT even just to get to the next stop. And to get from where I live now to my East End destinations (round trip) entails walking a total of at least 1.75 miles, waiting at stations between 1 and 24 minutes, which includes time for one transfer, and having to use an indirect route which averages less than half the speed that I could get by jumping in my car; once I'd get to my East End destination, I would not have the flexibility to go somewhere else that I didn't plan for and would have to go home first to retreive my car.

Greenspoint: Not an employee there, no interest

Sugar Land: Not an employee there, no interest

[713 To 214]

You must understand...I get less than four hours of sleep each weekday . . . .

This statement explains A LOT.

[Jax]

A typical ride through the TMC. You can barely see my bike in the lower right corner.

[ricco67]

For me to use it, it'd have to deliver me within about a third of a mile of where I work and not take twice the time per mile as if I were to drive or use an absurdly circuituitous path. You must understand...I get less than four hours of sleep each weekday and I'm not sacrificing five minutes of time to be able to pay to use a toy train.

Most of the other areas of Houston: Not an employee there, no interest

Your lack of sleep aside, the train isn't all about you, but rather the rest of the city for whom the train WOULD be useful for.

Jax, love your photos, but now you're just showing off with your fisheye.

[TheNiche]

the train isn't all about you, but rather the rest of the city for whom the train WOULD be useful for.

I categorically deny that I've ever said anything to the effect that the train is totally and completely useless to every single individual on earth.

I will say that my case is probably characteristic of the typical inner loop resident.

I will also say that the design and implementation of the train by METRO probably does as much harm as it does good in terms of regional mobility.

[N Judah]

Besides, the whiny high-pitched LRT horn is frickin' annoying as hell.

That's only in Houston. No other LRT has that crap as far as I know. When it first started, the Red Line didn't even have that horn (if I remember correctly).

[TheNiche]

That's only in Houston. No other LRT has that crap as far as I know. When it first started, the Red Line didn't even have that horn (if I remember correctly).

That's correct. METRO claimed that it would be far more quiet than busses. Yet on many nights, after the traffic has died down, I can hear that horn up to a half-mile away, sometimes even indoors.

[GovernorAggie]

I'm amazed that anyone would rather be next to freight rail than LRT.

Besides, the LRT horn is much better than these freight rail horns with their conductors who seem to fall asleep on top of the horn button. Is it really necessary to ride that horn for 30 seconds at a time? Or maybe the button gets stuck. I honestly didn't know something could get on my nerves as much as a freight train horn--the worst man-made sound in the history of the universe. Why does the whole neighborhood need to know when a train is coming--shouldn't they focus the noise direction and level on the intersections?

[Jax]

That's correct. METRO claimed that it would be far more quiet than busses. Yet on many nights, after the traffic has died down, I can hear that horn up to a half-mile away, sometimes even indoors.

Interesting because I live about 0.3 miles from a light rail station and I rarely hear the horn. I've only noticed it a few times at night and it is just barely audible. It's far quieter than the regular car traffic outside my window (and its not a busy street), and also quieter than the weekly car alarm that randomly goes off in the middle of the day (now that I really hate). Maybe you've got better ears than me...

[TheNiche]

I'm amazed that anyone would rather be next to freight rail than LRT.

Besides, the LRT horn is much better than these freight rail horns with their conductors who seem to fall asleep on top of the horn button. Is it really necessary to ride that horn for 30 seconds at a time? Or maybe the button gets stuck. I honestly didn't know something could get on my nerves as much as a freight train horn--the worst man-made sound in the history of the universe. Why does the whole neighborhood need to know when a train is coming--shouldn't they focus the noise direction and level on the intersections?

Heck, as I was telling BryanS at Happy Days over the weekend, there are circumstances under which I'd want to live adjacent to a freight rail line. Some people tour a townhome, look out the kitchen window, and see a train rumbling by, not but ten or twenty feet away, and balk at the prospect. To me, that's really neat. ...of course, its especially neat if we're talking about new construction with noise insulated walls and windows.

Freight horns are just of a tone that doesn't annoy me nearly as much as the high-pitched whiny sound of the LRT horn. Given adequate distance or noise insulation, freight train horns can add to the ambiance of a neighborhood. But that LRT horn just drives me crazy.

[TheNiche]

Interesting because I live about 0.3 miles from a light rail station and I rarely hear the horn. I've only noticed it a few times at night and it is just barely audible. It's far quieter than the regular car traffic outside my window (and its not a busy street), and also quieter than the weekly car alarm that randomly goes off in the middle of the day (now that I really hate). Maybe you've got better ears than me...

The horn doesn't sound with regularity at every station, but it always sounds (at legnth) at Fannin and the South Loop. At that particular location, there aren't many buildings right up near the street that would redirect and dampen the sound, so I suspect that it travels for a greater distance. A car pulling in late in the night is definitely louder by decibel volume, but not nearly as annoying.

[GovernorAggie]

Heck, as I was telling BryanS at Happy Days over the weekend, there are circumstances under which I'd want to live adjacent to a freight rail line. Some people tour a townhome, look out the kitchen window, and see a train rumbling by, not but ten or twenty feet away, and balk at the prospect. To me, that's really neat. ...of course, its especially neat if we're talking about new construction with noise insulated walls and windows.

Freight horns are just of a tone that doesn't annoy me nearly as much as the high-pitched whiny sound of the LRT horn. Given adequate distance or noise insulation, freight train horns can add to the ambiance of a neighborhood. But that LRT horn just drives me crazy.

I don't know, maybe it's due to my apprehension to freight trains that goes back some years, but I don't like the sound in the least bit. However, seeing them is pretty cool and with that I would agree with your statement about new construction. I don't want to hear the train--AT ALL. I want to hear a pin drop inside my home louder than the noise of a freight train. Give me insulation that good and we're in business. I still would wonder about what those trains carry though.

That being said, Niche, if and when you build your townhomes along the Ship Channel with windows directed towards downtown as well as the moving ships and lights of the Ship Channel, I wouldn't mind being a customer.