Tag Archives: Metro

Signing date for Full Funding Grant Agreement announced

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Metro blog: On Monday, Nov. 28, METRO will be joined by federal officials, along with members of Houston’s congressional delegation, to sign the long-awaited Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA) for the North and Southwest light-rail lines. President & … Continue reading →

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Construction pains

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I feel for the people and businesses that are being affected by Metro’s light rail construction. I wish that these large construction projects could be done without that kind of disruption, but it happens, and it sucks. What amazed me … Continue reading →

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Get them while they’re HOT

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is set to open its HOV lanes to single occupancy vehicles, but you’ll pay for the privilege if you choose it. The Metropolitan Transit Authority board Thursday set a range of tolls from $1 to $10, depending on the … Continue reading →

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There’s an app for finding a bus

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Imagine this: You are walking around the Galleria and want to go to Discovery Green for a concert. But you’re not sure what bus to take. In a few months, you’ll be able use your smart phone to … Continue reading →

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Downtown shuttle service to return

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Do you miss the free trolleys that used to run downtown? A new version of that service is set to debut in the spring. The Houston Downtown Management District, funded through tax assessments on downtown properties, plans to launch a … Continue reading →

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On spending and jobs

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What exactly was the point of this story? About 600 workers already are on the job building the North, Southeast and East End lines, according Metro. “This is an opportunity for Metro to create thousands of jobs in Houston for … Continue reading →

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Hempstead commuter rail update

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a look at how commuter rail along 290 might work. Commuter trains from Hempstead to Houston could start running by 2019 if the Gulf Coast Rail District can secure $300 million and if Union Pacific Railroad lets passenger cars … Continue reading →

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Metro officially back on track with the FTA

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The “Buy America” nightmare is now history for Metro. In September 2010, the FTA announced that the process Metro had used to award a rail car contract to CAF USA, the U.S. subsidiary of a Spanish company, violated federal law … Continue reading →

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Access to transit in Houston

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron’s Newswatch blog: Houston ranks third from the bottom among the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas in the number of households with no cars and no access to public transit, according to a new report from the Brookings … Continue reading →

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Cameras everywhere

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Red light cameras get all the attention, but there are a lot more cameras in Houston. This story about the city’s network of surveillance cameras that have been installed by the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security gives … Continue reading →

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Laying track

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a long time coming. For the first time in 10 years, workers this morning poured concrete for a new section of Metro light-rail track. The 80-foot section of steel rail will be part of the 6.6-mile Southeast … Continue reading →

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Greanias’ return

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Metro CEO George Greanias is back on the job after serving a week’s suspension for viewing adult websites on his laptop while connected to Metro’s WiFi network. Since the surprising announcement 10 days ago, Greanias has been publicly silent, spending … Continue reading →

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Greanias’ suspension

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m as shocked by this as you are. The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s efforts to rebuild public confidence suffered a setback Thursday with the announcement that President and CEO George Greanias, the public face of the “new Metro,” has been suspended … Continue reading →

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Airport Direct on the way out

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t say they didn’t try. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials have decided to eliminate express bus service to George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Canceling the airport service was one of a dozen suggested route changes that were discussed at a public … Continue reading →

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City asks Metro for Harrisburg underpass

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Houston Mayor and METRO Seek Common Ground on East End Line Resolution of Harrisburg/Hughes Streets Over/Under Question Becomes a Milestone The city of Houston has concluded there is “strong sentiment” within the East End community for an … Continue reading →

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Bike sharing in London

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Write On Metro notes the one-year anniversary of London’s bike sharing program. In London’s first year of operating a bike-share program, it has proven so popular that riders can’t always find a bike, and when they finish their trip, often … Continue reading →

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Metro gets more light rail funds

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the US Department of Transit: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced $1.58 billion for 27 transit projects nationwide that will improve public transportation access for millions of Americans while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and curbing air … Continue reading →

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No Metro redistricting for now

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in January there was a Chron story that pointed out a state law that would require the Metro board to add two more members if the non-Houston population of Metro’s service area made up 75% or more of the … Continue reading →

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East End community meeting to consider Harrisburg grade separation

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: East End community meeting to consider Harrisburg grade separation Wednesday, June 15 Union Pacific’s East Belt rail subdivision is one of the busiest in the city, carrying more than 30 freight trains a day through Houston’s East … Continue reading →

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Metro still trying to figure out Airport Direct

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good news: Ridership on Metro’s Airport Direct service is way up. Bad news: Thanks to the reduced fare, revenue is down. Launched in 2008, Airport Direct has always lost money. The service costs about $1.9 million a year to operate, … Continue reading →

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Check your Metro Q card

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Your Metro Q card may be set to expire at the end of the month. Here’s some information about that, via press release: Is your METRO Q® Fare Card expiring?  Flip it over to the back and check the serial … Continue reading →

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Council will vote on SafeClear changes

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in March, the city announced that it would be removing most of the subsidies for SafeClear as a cost-saving measure. The details have now been finalized and will be ready for Council action in June. Roadside services, such as … Continue reading →

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Metro settles with Higgins

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And the last bit of “old Metro” business gets put to rest. The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board [Thursday] agreed to settle a lawsuit by the agency’s former chief counsel in which she accused Metro of firing her for trying to … Continue reading →

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More on Metro’s rail to Fort Bend plan

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story from the first of the public meetings Metro is holding on the proposed US90A rail line to Fort Bend. Planners of a proposed project to extend light rail service from Houston to Missouri City are hopeful about … Continue reading →

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Bye-bye, intermodal center

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In the process of writing off some bad assets in what one hopes is the last ritual cleansing of the Frank Wilson era, Metro says good-bye to something we hadn’t heard of in awhile. Metro has given up on what … Continue reading →

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Metro in the President’s budget

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They did all right. Houston Metro’s expansion is getting a $200 million boost in Obama’s budget request to Congress. The money for the North Corridor and the Southeast Corridor projects is $50 million more than the $150 million set aside … Continue reading →

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Metro seeks input for commuter rail line to Fort Bend

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is taking another step forward on the commuter rail line along US 90A to Fort Bend County that was part of the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. Kimberly Slaughter, Senior Vice President of Service Design & Development for Metro, unveiled … Continue reading →

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Yet another threat to light rail expansion

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Great. The House could vote as soon as mid-February on a plan by the conservative House Republican Study Committee to end the 35-year-old Federal Transit Administration’s “New Starts” program,” which pours $2 billion-a-year into urban transit projects such as Houston … Continue reading →

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Safety train

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m passing along the following press release from Metro for those who might be interested: METRO TO UNVEIL WRAPPED RAIL CAR PROMOTING SAFETY WHAT: The NEW METRO will unveil a rail car wrapped in a bumper-to-bumper decal promoting safety along … Continue reading →

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Department of rail-related corrections

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Sue Lovell writes a letter disputing certain aspects of the recent story about Galveston commuter rail being off track. Barry Goodman blames lack of a regional transportation policy as a big obstacle. The eight-county transportation planning region represented … Continue reading →

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Metro restarts some light rail construction

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As if to punctuate Gilbert Garcia’s op-ed, the news for Metro at the start of 2011 is good. Last month, the Federal Transit Administration sent the first $50 million of the grant money for use on the North and Southeast … Continue reading →

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A more suburban Metro?

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another possible feature of the Census data, of which I had not been previously aware, could be characterized as Metro redistricting. The city of Houston could lose its majority control of the Metro board if the 2010 Census shows that … Continue reading →

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Garcia writes about the New Metro

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Metro Board Chair Gilbert Garcia wrote an op-ed for the Sunday Chron that outlined what Metro did in 2010 and plans to do in 2011. If you’ve already listened to my interview with Garcia and Board member Christof Spieler, what … Continue reading →

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NPR on LRT

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story on NPR about the expansion of light rail around the country. Pretty much everywhere you look in large urban areas, there’s light rail, construction of light rail, or plans for light rail. Couple of points from the story … Continue reading →

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