METRO 75: Energy Corridor Connector Bus Route

[MetroMogul]

Lean times for Metro it seems as the winter service "improvements" consist of just two changes instead of dozens. We do get a new route out of the deal though; the 75 - Energy Corridor Connector. I'm not one to lob accusations and give myself undue credit; but several years back I sent in a proposal (one of literally hundreds) for a 75 - Eldridge Crosstown which had it's southern terminus in Alief and it's northen terminus at Willowbrook Mall. It seems what Metro has done with this new route is lopped off the southern and northen portions (particularly the segment along Highway 6 from Addicks P&R to Willowbrook) of my old route and combined it with a route proposed by Peter Wang on the Metro blog which was also called the Energy Corridor Connector with similar routing to the northern portion of this new route.

Oh well, a new route, even if built off of other people's ideas is better than nothing. I looked at the scheduling and wow, there are going to be ALOT of empty buses. There are two buses that run five minutes apart in the morning. The midday frequency is set at 10 minute intervals compared to the chronically overcrowded 82 - Westheimer which has midday intervals of 45 minutes. Well, at least they're not putting in new service and running it at 60 minute intervals in the heat of the summer and hoping for the best.

The second change for next week is the scheduled running time adjustment of the 402 - Bellaire Quickline where six minutes will be lopped off for quicker trips. The six minutes is lost between the TMC and Bellaire Transit Centers, the portion of the route where it was anything but quick. Thanks Metro.

EDIT: A look at the Energy Connector route http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/Pdfs/ServiceChanges/075energycorridor.pdf

[JamesL]

That's good news! I bet METRO hits the energy corridor HARD with advertising to help it catch on...and no one will be able to say "the bus never comes!" It looks like they're committing six peak-hour buses to the service. Hopefully they use new hybrids from West BOF and not the rattle traps from Northwest.

The map is kind of confusing. They should distinguish between the northbound and southbound routing.

The time needed to be cut on the Quickline. They way overestimated the impact of the construction and it killed the QL's advantage. Local buses would pass as it sat at the stops losing time or crawling down the street. The Swiftline schedule could use shortening, too. I've been on sub-fifteen minute trips and the schedule allows 22.

[editor]

Got this in the e-mail this afternoon:

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METRO AND ENERGY CORRIDOR DISTRICT

LAUNCH NEW CONNECTOR SERVICE

In keeping with its promise to bring more bus service to the Houston region, METRO has joined the Energy Corridor District to launch the 75 Energy Corridor Connector, starting Monday, Jan. 25, 2010.

This new service, which runs along Eldridge between the Katy Freeway and Westheimer, provides employees and residents who live and work in the Energy Corridor District with a quick, convenient ride to stores, restaurants and businesses along the route.

Energy Corridor District employees who live in the downtown and midtown areas can connect to the 75 Energy Corridor Connector by riding the 228 Addicks and 229 Kingsland/Addicks from the Central Business District to the Addicks Park & Ride. The Connector also links with popular routes like the 82 Westheimer and the 131 Memorial.

Service will run every 15 minutes, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and every 10 minutes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

[LTAWACS]

It seems the way they come up with new routes is flawed. Surely, they have some mathematicians poring over network algorithms and such, who create new routes.

And not just sittin' around waiting for people to send in suggestions at their leisure... ?

[MetroMogul]

Actually it's a little bit of both. But don't let facts and my knowledge of the process get in the way of one of your patented sarcastic remarks.

[N Judah]

It seems the way they come up with new routes is flawed. Surely, they have some mathematicians poring over network algorithms and such, who create new routes.

I think if that were true, they'd at least be able to post timetables at the stops.

[LTAWACS]

Actually it's a little bit of both. But don't let facts and my knowledge of the process get in the way of one of your patented sarcastic remarks.

Relax.

[MetroMogul]

I think if that were true, they'd at least be able to post timetables at the stops.

Actually, they've improved in that aspect. Most major timepoints, at least in Southwest Houston, have the timetables posted at the bus stops inlcuding the schedules for the connecting services as well.

[JamesL]

I hereby retract my complaint about the map:

http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/Pdfs/Schedule%20Changes/075energycorridor.pdf

[MetroMogul]

Interesting news; according to Peter Wang on the Metro blog, The Energy Corridor pays for the service and Metro just operates it as the subcontractor hence the reason for such generous frequencies between buses. Money talks.

[LTAWACS]

Interesting news; according to Peter Wang on the Metro blog, The Energy Corridor pays for the service and Metro just operates it as the subcontractor hence the reason for such generous frequencies between buses. Money talks.

Interesting. Sounds pretty fishy to me... But I'm not familiar with this sort of thing so it may be all good.

[august948]

Interesting news; according to Peter Wang on the Metro blog, The Energy Corridor pays for the service and Metro just operates it as the subcontractor hence the reason for such generous frequencies between buses. Money talks.

Isn't that how the uptown trolley and the westchase circulator were funded also? Note: both are now long gone.