From Houston Tomorrow: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released its recommendations for the President’s FY2011 Budget, which include $75 million each for Houston’s North (pdf) andSoutheast Light Rail Lines (pdf), continuing the funding that began in the previous year. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) plans to pay for the Uptown and East Light Rail [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Southeast line’
University Line FEIS filed
Again via Swamplot, here’s another Examiner story about the current state of light rail construction, in this case the University line. The light rail alignment for Metro’s University route will require the acquisition of about 23 acres of land, much of it along Richmond Avenue, according to the final environmental impact study on the project. [...]
University Line takes a step forward on funding
Finally! The light rail route known as the “University Line” is close to clearing the first major hurdle for obtaining federal funding. The Federal Transit Authority notified Metro this week that the project has entered a 10-day congressional notification period. If no member of Congress objects by Dec. 10, then the FTA will give Metro [...]
Metro gets FTA final design approval for North and Southeast lines
Another step forward. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave METRO permission today to enter into Final Design on Houston’s North and Southeast light-rail lines. The FTA’s approval is the final prerequisite toward entering Full Funding Grant Agreements on both lines, which signals the federal government’s commitment to fund its part of the projects. The approval [...]
Metro light rail groundbreaking
Asa we know, today was groundbreaking day for Metro on the North and Southeast lines. Here’s the coverage I could find: an oddly negative story from KTRK, stories from Fox and KHOU, and a story from Texas Cable News that has something near and dear to my heart, namely numbers. Metro estimates that by 2030 [...]
Metro to break ground on North and Southeast lines
Woo hoo! The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will be breaking ground July 13 on the next phase of the MetroRail. Metro will begin construction on the North rail corridor which will connect to the Red Line at the University of Houston-Downtown and end at the Northline Station on Fulton and Deerfield streets near [...]
The squiggle
So now we know that the new soccer stadium is likely to happen, even though Commissioners Court continues to take its sweet time about it. We know that the new light rail lines, including the Southeast and Harrisburg lines, are on their way soon as well. And we know that these two things together will [...]
More on Metro’s costs
The West U Examiner ran a similar story to the one about Metro’s costs and critics last week, in which the same questions about the cost estimates were raised by the same critic. The basic points are identical, so there’s not much to add except my congratulations to Mr. Magaziner for getting his complaints aired [...]
OK, you can use some stimulus money on rail
Whew! Federal transit officials on Tuesday reversed course and agreed to allow Metro to use nearly $30 million in economic stimulus funds for utility relocation work on the proposed North and Southeast rail lines, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced. Just last week, Metro was told such stimulus funds could not be used on the latest [...]
Stimulus? What stimulus?
I’m basically agnostic about the plan to convert HOV lanes to HOV-plus-toll lanes that Metro is floating. Like Christof, who was quoted in the story, I don’t think it will make that much difference in terms of actual traffic flow, though I think that Texas Transportation Institute fellow is correct to note that it will [...]
Metro approves contract with Parsons
Good. The Metropolitan Transit Authority board of directors on Wednesday unanimously approved a $1.46 billion contract for four new light rail lines, which would add 20 miles to its lone seven-mile line along Main Street. Under the contract, which came after almost a year of negotiations, Parsons Transportation Group is responsible for designing, building, operating [...]
Metro to vote on rail contract
The good news: Metro is set to vote on the contract to build the next light rail lines. The bad news is that they’re doing is amid headlines like Metro refuses to discuss rail contract details before vote. The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board is expected to vote on a multi-billion-dollar light rail contract tomorrow, but [...]
Metro vote on light rail contract delayed
Rats. Metro’s board Chairman David Wolff has called off [today]’s vote on a contract with the agency’s rail builder in favor of a special board meeting next month. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has been in negotiations with Parsons Transportation Group since last April to build four new rail lines: North, East End, Southeast and Uptown. [...]
Some action on the rail construction front
Finally. After two years of negotiations with two firms, the Metropolitan Transit Authority may be close to reaching a deal with a contractor to build and operate its next four light rail lines. “We’re in final negotiations,” said George Smalley, a Metro spokesman. “In a negotiation, though, you never know until it’s really over.” The [...]
A piece of the stimulus pie for Metro
This would be nice. Houston Metro is due to receive as much as $180 million over the next 12 months from a huge economic stimulus bill to help jump-start construction of two light rail lines, a House committee chairman said Wednesday. The long-delayed rail lines on the city’s north and southeast sides are a “very [...]