mfastx Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 20 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: Out of curiosity I wandered to the Metro website and saw that the FTA finalized the environmental study on this line which gives Metro the right to tweak the design. This is awesome news and I knew nothing about this. Even if it goes back to the ballot box, its clear by how packed the trains and busses are that people want public transportation. Are you talking about the Record of Decision? If so that was like over five years ago, I don't think METRO is even close to concerned with constructing the University line at this point, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 1 hour ago, mfastx said: Are you talking about the Record of Decision? If so that was like over five years ago, I don't think METRO is even close to concerned with constructing the University line at this point, unfortunately. Well I've check the website in the past, as in the past few months and all it said about the University Line was it's a proposed line from point A to B. But this time I check it explained that the environmental study that was done a while back was approved by the FTA, which now gives Metro the right to redesign the line. I know a lot of us are optimistic about this line, but since the green and purple line both end at the Theater District, wouldn't it be nicer to have both lines extend out from there? Have one line go the the Northwest Transit Center and the other head towards the Galleria? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 that would be nice, but connecting high density centers, UH, Greenway, Uptown is as much a 'slam dunk' for high ridership as the original red line was. extending the green/purple line just doesn't take it to a high density destination (not that the green/purple lines do that on the other side of town). not to get on a tangent, but I'm kind of surprised that opponents haven't used the green/purple ridership against it yet, saying that it hasn't increased in ridership as fast as the red line did, therefore light rail is a failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 The purple line is definitely gaining ridership, and though it might just be for the Final Four, they've started double stacking the trams for the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 yeah, it's just the final 4 they are doubled up for. I do agree though, my drive home in the evenings brings me down rusk, and the station near rusk/fannin is usually full of people waiting on a train. so it's working, just not as fast as the red line, and not fast enough for critics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 On 4/1/2016 at 4:33 PM, samagon said: that would be nice, but connecting high density centers, UH, Greenway, Uptown is as much a 'slam dunk' for high ridership as the original red line was. extending the green/purple line just doesn't take it to a high density destination (not that the green/purple lines do that on the other side of town). not to get on a tangent, but I'm kind of surprised that opponents haven't used the green/purple ridership against it yet, saying that it hasn't increased in ridership as fast as the red line did, therefore light rail is a failure. Cause its not about ridership its about politics... the entire system is an overall success and they will still find some bs to claim how it won't work in any other part of the city... in much the same way those idiots in Uptown sued the city because of the BRT lanes claiming they won't ease congestion, which is bs... I guarantee those BRT buses are going to be packed all the time which is going to create less traffic and in return redevelop that area. Also once those BRT lanes are finished, expect to hear more about the University Line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestUdweller Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 On 4/1/2016 at 4:33 PM, samagon said: that would be nice, but connecting high density centers, UH, Greenway, Uptown is as much a 'slam dunk' for high ridership as the original red line was. extending the green/purple line just doesn't take it to a high density destination (not that the green/purple lines do that on the other side of town). not to get on a tangent, but I'm kind of surprised that opponents haven't used the green/purple ridership against it yet, saying that it hasn't increased in ridership as fast as the red line did, therefore light rail is a failure. If they had those lines extending all the way down Washington to the Northwest Transit Center with limited stops and right of ways like the red line has, you'd have a ****load of ridership. Washington Corridor is one of the most dense areas period. People would love to take the rail to work downtown, to the future high speed train station, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 9 minutes ago, WestUdweller said: If they had those lines extending all the way down Washington to the Northwest Transit Center with limited stops and right of ways like the red line has, you'd have a ****load of ridership. Washington Corridor is one of the most dense areas period. People would love to take the rail to work downtown, to the future high speed train station, etc. UH had over 42,000 students enrolled in 2015. Nearly 10,000 students enrolled at TSU. Greenway plaza has over 4 million SF of office space. The Galleria area is very dense with huge employment centers (I consider this a wash as neither the current iteration of the university line, or a line terminating at the NWTC would have direct connection to it). The last iteration of the university line had a stop in Gulfton on it's way to the Hillcroft transit center, not one of the densest, it is, hands down, the densest area of Houston. I'm not saying that the Washington corridor is a desolate wasteland with nothing but tumbleweeds careening down streets, I'm saying that the best choice to maximize potential users and have the best positive impact for the most potential riders would be the university line along it's original route or existing planned route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestUdweller Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 20 minutes ago, samagon said: UH had over 42,000 students enrolled in 2015. Nearly 10,000 students enrolled at TSU. Greenway plaza has over 4 million SF of office space. The Galleria area is very dense with huge employment centers (I consider this a wash as neither the current iteration of the university line, or a line terminating at the NWTC would have direct connection to it). The last iteration of the university line had a stop in Gulfton on it's way to the Hillcroft transit center, not one of the densest, it is, hands down, the densest area of Houston. I'm not saying that the Washington corridor is a desolate wasteland with nothing but tumbleweeds careening down streets, I'm saying that the best choice to maximize potential users and have the best positive impact for the most potential riders would be the university line along it's original route or existing planned route. Well I wasn't saying you needed one line vs another. Just that in addition to the university line, the other line should be extended all the way to the northwest transit center Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 oh, ok. Yeah, absolutely, for continued expansion of the lines Washington is a logical choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 U-Line would have also hit up Houston Community College Central and U of St. Thomas. It would have also allowed downtown visitors a chance to connect easily to the Menil, one of our biggest tourist attractions. Also, I was surprised that all four Final Four teams were officially housed in Uptown (Royal Sonesta, Westin, JW Marriott and Hilton). Imagine those folks being able to ride the rail the NRG rather than driving/uber. If that line isn't built soon, I hope we start hosting schools downtown. We just need one more mega hotel to add to the Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott Marquis mix... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Metro could have a special VIP train to transport teams to NRG from hotels - I'm imagining one of the older light rail cars when it's about to be retired gets super tinted windows, new interior, and a better sound system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 I wonder if metro could incorporate express or limited express trains for certain times of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 The problem would be passing the local trains with the express trains; the system just wasn't designed with that in mind. There are some cross over points, but it is more for operating with a closed sections of lines as opposed to bypassing stops. The only places where the trains could pass would be Burnett and UH stadium - they both have a pocket for trains to pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Makes sense. Damn you Japan for showing me your fancy train network with musical station tones, under overpass shopping, and heated toilet seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geographer Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 I'm new to this forum and somewhat new to Houston. Why was the University Line scuttled? The route would have connected high density, working class housing around Gulfton, large employment centers in the Galleria and Medical Center, and three universities. The route was also a mostly straight shot so the average speed would have been high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Geographer said: I'm new to this forum and somewhat new to Houston. Why was the University Line scuttled? The route would have connected high density, working class housing around Gulfton, large employment centers in the Galleria and Medical Center, and three universities. The route was also a mostly straight shot so the average speed would have been high. A neighborhood objected, and the Congressman, John Culberson, made sure there was no funding available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 19 hours ago, Ross said: A neighborhood objected, and the Congressman, John Culberson, made sure there was no funding available. Let's not forget Culberson's predecessor, Tom DeLay. And FWIW, it was one single neighborhood that the line was re routed to bypass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 2 hours ago, mollusk said: Let's not forget Culberson's predecessor, Tom DeLay. And FWIW, it was one single neighborhood that the line was re routed to bypass. I'm being pedantic, but Delay was the rep for CD22, Culberson was in CD07. The two of them together were a giant roadblock for rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some one Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Ross said: I'm being pedantic, but Delay was the rep for CD22, Culberson was in CD07. The two of them together were a giant roadblock for rail. Don't forget Bob Lanier, who killed the original monorail proposal and subsequently forced Metro to use local funding to build the red line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Ross said: I'm being pedantic, but Delay was the rep for CD22, Culberson was in CD07. The two of them together were a giant roadblock for rail. DeLay''s district included most of the University Line. Most of the Harris County portion of it was later redistricted to the 7th. And don't get me started on MayorBob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geographer Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 How did two Congressmen in Washington prevent a light rail line from being constructed in Houston? Also, both those Congressmen are out of office now so why isn't the University Line being reconsidered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 They put riders in the budget saying that no federal money could go to Metro if they built a rail line along that route. Metro still could have built it, but it would have to used 100% local funds as opposed to using matching grants from the federal government. Now that they are out of office, the line has been revived as bus rapid transit, which is very similar to light rail - dedicated lanes, stations instead of bus stops, and signal priority. The new line that is replacing the original proposed university line goes a lot further than the university line was going to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Geographer said: How did two Congressmen in Washington prevent a light rail line from being constructed in Houston? Also, both those Congressmen are out of office now so why isn't the University Line being reconsidered? How did we elect a president two shades off from the color of the sun? It's politics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 1 hour ago, j_cuevas713 said: How did we elect a president two shades off from the color of the sun? It's politics Are you implying that the color of a president's skin matters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Timer Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 It's not fake news. It's a fake tan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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