It’s an old story. Metro gets some good news relating to the University line. Rep. John Culberson tries again to halt the project. The Chronicle calls him out on it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that last part.
It’s not clear how effective Culberson’s latest railblock will be, since his party is now in the congressional minority and under the Obama administration the FTA seems more responsive to Houston’s rail-building efforts. The FTA does not require congressional approval for evaluations of rail plans.
One thing is sure. Until the first trains start whizzing down the University Line, count on Culberson to be busily scheming to derail the project. In doing so, he will be working against the transit interests of his constituents and the wider Houston community.
In other words, we’ll see this all again sooner or later.