Good to see, but as before let’s maintain some perspective in these early days.
Though still below initial estimates, use of two new light rail lines in Houston is increasing, based on July figures released Monday.
After a rocky start, use of the Green Line along Harrisburg increased 25.9 percent from June to July, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority figures. An average of 938 trips were logged each day to and from the stations east of BBVA Compass Stadium along Harrisburg. Use of the Purple Line along Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. dipped 2.1 percent, averaging 1,676 riders per day.
Where the two lines share track in Houston’s central business district, ridership jumped 12.6 percent to 2,546 trips per day.
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Metro officials predict ridership along the Purple Line to increase significantly when the fall semester starts at the University of Houston and Texas Southern University. Green Line ridership is expected to increase once Metro’s new bus system eliminates bus service along Harrisburg and the light rail line connects to the Magnolia Park Transit Center.
Since the lines opened May 23, officials have said they are monitoring use and looking for ways to improve the system, but are not concerned about the lower-than-predicted ridership.
“It is still premature to derive any conclusions,” spokesman Jerome Gray said Monday.
See here and here for the background. As I said before, I expect it to take a year or more for the ridership numbers to stabilize a bit, and I expect them to continue to grow over time. Our past history shows there may be some fluctuations from month to month, so we shouldn’t get too excited over a single month’s totals. In other words, what Jerome Gray said.