Can light rail double as commuter rail?

[cspwal]

Past the beltway we would need a seperate commuter rail. How we could connect the two would be a seperate task, but why not have both? Most cities do, and as far spread out as Houston is we would seriously need it. There's no way light rail would work as a commuter rail out to Katy, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, Clear Lake, Galveston, etc.

 

It would be pretty interesting to be in downtown, and see the Purple line train that says "Galveston" on it and the Redline train that says "The Woodlands"

 

Makes me think of a while back I was coming home late and the Redline train I was on said "Houston" as its destination

 

I didn't think to take a picture until it was already leaving...

[IronTiger]

I'm a little late to the party and it may be silly to compare our system to a system in Europe, but I've rode the Cologne light rail system enough to feel like I can make a fare comparison.

Anyways, it can work, but only so far. In the inner city, the stations are closer, and some are on the streets (even in some suburbs). Outside of the central core, the stations are less frequent and the tracks are separated from the street grid, allowing faster speeds. It works well, but only so far a distance. I could see the same system being implemented maybe within the the beltway here in Houston, but only if the tracks are off of the street grid. It could connect most of the business districts and suburban areas in the beltway.

Past the beltway we would need a seperate commuter rail. How we could connect the two would be a seperate task, but why not have both? Most cities do, and as far spread out as Houston is we would seriously need it. There's no way light rail would work as a commuter rail out to Katy, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, Clear Lake, Galveston, etc.

Of course the "commuter rail" system would travel off the grid, probably in abandoned lines (Westpark) or running parallel to existing lines (Sugar Land), or failing that, weaving through whatever scraps of land possible (that's the way DART to the airport seems to run, for instance).

I think part of the question is "How far?" I think that Galveston and The Woodlands would definitely require a separate commuter rail line, as Galveston is about 45 miles from downtown (as the crow flies) and The Woodlands (mall area) about 30 miles. But FM 1960/290 is just under 20 miles (which is, I believe, how far the Plano line goes, roughly), which seems more reasonable.

Really, I think a good (rough) benchmark is "just outside the Beltway" instead of "just outside the Loop". That would hit Cypress (leaving just the post-2005 development, like most of Fairfield, Fry Road, etc. in the dark), Sugar Land, Clear Lake, as still valid terminus points (but terminus points, so nothing south) while cutting out Kingwood, The Woodlands, Galveston, Rosenberg, Waller, etc. which are definitely too far away.

Despite the fact that no one's talking about extending the existing light rail system, I'm still trying to be pragmatic, to a point how someone living in most suburbs could still pick the light rail as a viable option for mass transit without complicating things like making a transfer.

[Slick Vik]

I think rail to woodlands, cypress, Katy, sugar land, kingwood, pearland, and Galveston would be a great idea, with air trains to hobby and IAH. In conjunction with light rails to help you get around within Houston it would h a tremendous system.

[curbur]

Really, I think a good (rough) benchmark is "just outside the Beltway" instead of "just outside the Loop". That would hit Cypress (leaving just the post-2005 development, like most of Fairfield, Fry Road, etc. in the dark), Sugar Land, Clear Lake, as still valid terminus points (but terminus points, so nothing south) while cutting out Kingwood, The Woodlands, Galveston, Rosenberg, Waller, etc. which are definitely too far away.

Residents don't technically have a Cypress address until they are west of Barker Cypress when south of 290, or west of Huffmeister rd. when north of 290. The area you are referring to is Jersey Village or unincorporated Harris county nearby it.