METRO Next - 2040 Vision

[Some one]

My only concern with BRT is the possibility that the buses might get too busy, especially on the University or Inner Katy corridor.

[Houston19514]

8 hours ago, Some one said:

My only concern with BRT is the possibility that the buses might get too busy, especially on the University or Inner Katy corridor.

That would be an amazing problem to have.  Let's hope for it.

[astros148]

https://mobile.twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1415053476284047362

 

Every other democratic congressman are getting all their local cities massive train and public transit expansion wtf is lizzie doing ?!?! With the massive trillion dollar infrastructure bill (which this nation needed a decade ago) upcoming she should be using all her leverage to fund all metro projects. I've spoken to her office and I ask you guys to also. We really have a once in a generational opportunity to transform the public transit in Houston. We're not talking about expanded bus lines and other bs. True change and the money is there 

Edited July 15, 2021 by astros148

[j_cuevas713]

6 hours ago, astros148 said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1415053476284047362

 

Every other democratic congressman are getting all their local cities massive train and public transit expansion wtf is lizzie doing ?!?! With the massive trillion dollar infrastructure bill (which this nation needed a decade ago) upcoming she should be using all her leverage to fund all metro projects. I've spoken to her office and I ask you guys to also. We really have a once in a generational opportunity to transform the public transit in Houston.

I was just about to ask how much do we think Houston will get. Who knows what Lizzie has already accomplished so far. I did see this tho a couple of weeks ago

https://fletcher.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3276

Edited July 15, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[astros148]

5 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I was just about to ask how much do we think Houston will get. Who knows what Lizzie has already accomplished so fa. I did see this tho a couple of weeks ago

https://fletcher.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3276

The next bill will the massive infrastructure and next generation stuff. Congress will spend a total of 100-200b on public transit/trains/commuter. She needs to holdout for atleast a billion for metro in all together at minimum. I don't know why metro and others aren't lobbying her more. I spoke with her chief of staff they told me she's aware of metro rail expansion and is working with metro. Let's see honestly but with her vote meaning so much ( 5 seat majority in the house) she needs to demand for lots of $$$$. I've donated a decent amount to her in her campaign and she needs to be aware of the situation.

Now that earmarks are back in congress let's get some damn money flowing and rebuild our public transit for truly next generation. Congress is never going to ever pass this sort of funding again in our lifetime and she needs to leverage her vote for some truly historic investments.  (Not talking politics keeping it strictly bout infrastructure)

 

We need to hold our elected officials accountable bottom line. I urge everyone here to contact her office and demand that she brings us more than bus lines. Grassroots and pressure works. I've had numerous friends and others call her also.

Edited July 15, 2021 by astros148

[HouTXRanger]

On 7/13/2021 at 11:41 PM, Some one said:

My only concern with BRT is the possibility that the buses might get too busy, especially on the University or Inner Katy corridor.

I can pretty much guarantee that the University BRT will be one of the busiest lines in the city within a few years, especially if the commuter bus system gets reworked.

[Some one]

On 7/14/2021 at 7:45 AM, Houston19514 said:

That would be an amazing problem to have.  Let's hope for it.

 

On 7/16/2021 at 12:26 PM, HouTXRanger said:

I can pretty much guarantee that the University BRT will be one of the busiest lines in the city within a few years, especially if the commuter bus system gets reworked.

While I do agree that the bus lines being busy is great, what I meant is that the buses might exceed their capacity, which could become a huge problem in the near future.

[j_cuevas713]

1 hour ago, Some one said:

 

While I do agree that the bus lines being busy is great, what I meant is that the buses might exceed their capacity, which could become a huge problem in the near future.

Yeah probably which means they’ll either need more buses or the case for rail will eventually be made. 

[samagon]

On 7/18/2021 at 12:23 AM, Some one said:

 

While I do agree that the bus lines being busy is great, what I meant is that the buses might exceed their capacity, which could become a huge problem in the near future.

I would assume that when the busses start getting within a percentage of target capacity on an average over time they will consider the options to add capacity.

it's not like, one day they will have 10 people on a bus, then the next day, boom, 100 people in line. and anyway, I think the capacity that they shoot for is well within the maximum limits of the ride vehicles. when you see them actually pack a bus at rodeo, the number of people they let in makes you think it must be a clown car.

[j_cuevas713]

Why not start on the University line and wait on the Inner Katy while we see whats going to happen with the NHHIP? 2025 seems like forever away 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/heights-river-oaks-montrose/transportation/2021/07/28/metro-officials-have-high-hopes-for-connectivity-of-planned-university-rapid-bus-line/?type=article&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_article&fbclid=iwar2hhdxoagb9m09jxt4z1_l82puvbxuhstnsxmdif5w_13_nb3brgj5qsbm

Edited July 30, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[wilcal]

And it is only a portion of the University line :(

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, wilcal said:

And it is only a portion of the University line :(

I don't think it's for only a portion.  I think all segments of the University Line BRT are on the same schedule.

[X.R.]

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

I don't think it's for only a portion.  I think all segments of the University Line BRT are on the same schedule.

Yeah the way I read it is the same as @Houston19514 . It sounds like the enviro studies and pre-construction stuff for the whole line is under-way and construction on the thing as a whole doesn't begin until 2025. At this particular meeting however, they chose to focus on that certain piece.

If they are doing BRT the same way they did BRT in Uptown, then I can see how this can be a long term project requiring crazy amount of prep. I mean Uptown BRT came with sidewalks with trees and lights and the median is full of trees and each stop has a nice shelter area and some LCDs. I think Uptown helped with a lot of that (someone correct me please) so even if it doesn't come with the sidewalks and stuff, and its just the median, I mean, that's still a massive project that I'm sure requires a lot to be prepped. Who knows, maybe they are also waiting for each TIRZ/neighborhood this thing goes through to get their plans in order so they can do a Uptown-type pedestrian experience for each place it goes through. 

[wilcal]

17 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

I don't think it's for only a portion.  I think all segments of the University Line BRT are on the same schedule.

 

14 hours ago, X.R. said:

Yeah the way I read it is the same as @Houston19514 . It sounds like the enviro studies and pre-construction stuff for the whole line is under-way and construction on the thing as a whole doesn't begin until 2025. At this particular meeting however, they chose to focus on that certain piece.

If they are doing BRT the same way they did BRT in Uptown, then I can see how this can be a long term project requiring crazy amount of prep. I mean Uptown BRT came with sidewalks with trees and lights and the median is full of trees and each stop has a nice shelter area and some LCDs. I think Uptown helped with a lot of that (someone correct me please) so even if it doesn't come with the sidewalks and stuff, and its just the median, I mean, that's still a massive project that I'm sure requires a lot to be prepped. Who knows, maybe they are also waiting for each TIRZ/neighborhood this thing goes through to get their plans in order so they can do a Uptown-type pedestrian experience for each place it goes through. 

From this article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/Hoping-for-federal-funds-Metro-trying-to-move-16200166.php

 

Quote

It is the second and third segments Metro officials believe they can accelerate, along with a small stretch westward to the Hillcroft Transit Center, based on previous efforts that never passed the design stages.

They are basically fast-forwarding this portion to try to get federal $$$

[Houston19514]

 

On 7/31/2021 at 8:10 AM, wilcal said:

 

From this article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/Hoping-for-federal-funds-Metro-trying-to-move-16200166.php

 

They are basically fast-forwarding this portion to try to get federal $$$

That's the danger of relying on the Chronicle...

From looking at the Metro board presentations and listening to their meetings, I get no indication that they plan to move those segments ahead of the others or on any different schedule.  They talk of leveraging the work previously done on those segments to accelerate the schedule in order to position the entire project for federal funding sooner rather than later.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Houston19514

[j.33]

Inner Katy BRT Virtual Meeting tonight (8/16) at 5pm. I am not sure if there is an actual video presentation, or if you just walk through the powerpoint on your own. There is a place to leave comments though. Here is the link:

https://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/METRORapid-Inner-Katy.aspx

Click "upcoming events", and then you'll see the meeting. 

[Texasota]

Ooooh, renderings of all the potential station locations:

METRORapid-Inner-Katy-Station-Workshop-Presentation-080321.pdf (ridemetro.org)

I would really like to see more stations than previously proposed.

[j_cuevas713]

Wow this is going to be great. Once this and the Richmond Ave BRT are built, I’m going to use my car even less than I do now. The stations look great! 

Edited August 17, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[BEES?!]

The self-guided virtual meeting is online now. You can submit comments until 11:59 pm on 8/31.

Here is the link

I was really happy to see all the new stations being taken into consideration, and REALLY excited to see the proposed Franklin station- very smart of them to tie it into Amtrak/POST. I wonder if someone at POST/Downtown tossed their hat into the ring on that one? If so, that’s pretty brilliant, especially with the future extension to the HSR station, connectedness to Uptown, that will all really help that project. 

Edited August 17, 2021 by BEES?!

[nate4l1f3]

1 hour ago, BEES?! said:

The self-guided virtual meeting is online now. You can submit comments until 11:59 pm on 8/31.

Here is the link

I was really happy to see all the new stations being taken into consideration, and REALLY excited to see the proposed Franklin station- very smart of them to tie it into Amtrak/POST. I wonder if someone at POST/Downtown tossed their hat into the ring on that one? If so, that’s pretty brilliant, especially with the future extension to the HSR station, connectedness to Uptown, that will all really help that project. 

The Aquarium within walking distance of the station as well. Whatever happened the the Aquarium expansion into that empty lot?

[cspwal]

7 hours ago, nate4l1f3 said:

The Aquarium within walking distance of the station as well. Whatever happened the the Aquarium expansion into that empty lot?

That expansion was just a fish tale

[TheSirDingle]

You know I wonder what the plausibility of using existing freight tracks as commuter rail/local rail lines would be? 

Lets say you use the freight line going besides I-10 with trains that have a schedule akin to the metro park and ride buses, this line would go from NWTC (Maybe CBD directly or on a transfer) to even Katy; maybe Brookshire. This could even be done for something like the 290 corridor, or go down east I-10 and you can have a Baytown line. 

It doesn't seem that crazy, well excluding political pressure and maybe even railroad push back. It would definitely help the super commuter problem, and pairing it with the current planned expansions would make most of the Houston Metro's main hubs and spokes easily navigable by train/BRT, while also allowing for lower car use. 

But how much would that cost, especially connecting it to the local PT network. I would think the CBD -> Cypress line alone would be in the $500 million range (including electrifying the rail, stations, ROW, etc). Would this even be worth it for lets say a potential 15k/day boarding total? 

All of these LRT extensions and BRT additions are making me wonder how we can use/update existing infrastructure to compliment this massive inner city system we have in the pipeline. It would be a great thing to have, and would help the connectivity of the city even more, but would it be easy to do? Hell no. Do I think it is possible to do and within the next 20 years? Hell yes!

[Ross]

3 hours ago, TheSirDingle said:

You know I wonder what the plausibility of using existing freight tracks as commuter rail/local rail lines would be? 

Lets say you use the freight line going besides I-10 with trains that have a schedule akin to the metro park and ride buses, this line would go from NWTC (Maybe CBD directly or on a transfer) to even Katy; maybe Brookshire. This could even be done for something like the 290 corridor, or go down east I-10 and you can have a Baytown line. 

It doesn't seem that crazy, well excluding political pressure and maybe even railroad push back. It would definitely help the super commuter problem, and pairing it with the current planned expansions would make most of the Houston Metro's main hubs and spokes easily navigable by train/BRT, while also allowing for lower car use. 

But how much would that cost, especially connecting it to the local PT network. I would think the CBD -> Cypress line alone would be in the $500 million range (including electrifying the rail, stations, ROW, etc). Would this even be worth it for lets say a potential 15k/day boarding total? 

All of these LRT extensions and BRT additions are making me wonder how we can use/update existing infrastructure to compliment this massive inner city system we have in the pipeline. It would be a great thing to have, and would help the connectivity of the city even more, but would it be easy to do? Hell no. Do I think it is possible to do and within the next 20 years? Hell yes!

There are no railroad tracks along I-10 until you get to Katy-Ft Bend Road.

The railroads are not going to allow commuter traffic on their rails, since they are full of freight traffic

$500 million wouldn't even begin to be enough for a single rail line to a single suburb, with no intermediate stations.

BRT and buses are the short term answer.

[wilcal]

1 hour ago, Ross said:

There are no railroad tracks along I-10 until you get to Katy-Ft Bend Road.

The railroads are not going to allow commuter traffic on their rails, since they are full of freight traffic

$500 million wouldn't even begin to be enough for a single rail line to a single suburb, with no intermediate stations.

BRT and buses are the short term answer.

Pretty much.

There was something that was floated to allow commuter rail to have preference on freight rail in the infrastructure bill, but I can't imagine that is going to happen.

[mattyt36]

1 hour ago, wilcal said:

Pretty much.

There was something that was floated to allow commuter rail to have preference on freight rail in the infrastructure bill, but I can't imagine that is going to happen.

That piqued my interest.

Actually Amtrak-specific:

Text - S.1500 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Rail Passenger Fairness Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

But appears right already exists:

49 U.S. Code § 24308 - Use of facilities and providing services to Amtrak | U.S. Code | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)

[iah77]

Why do they propose such nice things in areas where less people will use them while ignoring very dense areas like Gulfton where bus usage is very high? I feel they really need some program to promote density around the stations to make it actually work. Like the area around Shephard and 1-10 is literally an open stone counter place and not friendly to pedestrians etc.  

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, iah77 said:

Why do they propose such nice things in areas where less people will use them while ignoring very dense areas like Gulfton where bus usage is very high? I feel they really need some program to promote density around the stations to make it actually work. Like the area around Shephard and 1-10 is literally an open stone counter place and not friendly to pedestrians etc.  

https://www.ridemetro.org/MetroPDFs/METRONEXT/METRONext-Moving-Forward-Plan-Summary.pdf  (They are planing BRT service to Gulfton)

Edited August 18, 2021 by Houston19514

[crock]

7 minutes ago, iah77 said:

Why do they propose such nice things in areas where less people will use them while ignoring very dense areas like Gulfton where bus usage is very high? I feel they really need some program to promote density around the stations to make it actually work. Like the area around Shephard and 1-10 is literally an open stone counter place and not friendly to pedestrians etc.  

the worst part is the one possible stop that's actually in a pretty-dense neighborhood (Houston Ave/First Ward) is the least likely to be built. 

[j.33]

@iah77 Gulfton is getting a new bus route on Sunday connecting Gulfton to both Hilcroft P&R and Lower Uptown TC where the Silver Line (Post Oak BRT terminates). 

I get what you're saying...I would say that Shepherd has potential to become very dense. We are already seeing it around Shepherd and Washington with all the new apartments. The inner Katy BRT line will also connect Northwest TC (METRO's largest transit center) with Downtown so it will play a key role in METRO'S regional network. 

[Texasota]

I think the Heights/Yale station is another to voice strong support for - the Walmart and Sprouts parcels are trash but surrounding development is really starting to get rolling and I could see them being redeveloped in the foreseeable future.