Tag Archives: Harrisburg line

Metro approves I-10 Inner Katy BRT route

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Big step forward. Metro officials Thursday settled on the route for a busway along Interstate 10 that they predict will improve transit for urban and suburban travelers, whether they hop on board or not. The elevated busway planned along the … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the Hobby Airport light rail extension

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More good thing we could get from the eventual Infrastructure Bill. Houston was made and marketed by the slogan “where 17 railroads meet the sea.” Local elected officials now think its short-term future, and the local success of a proposed … Continue reading →

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Metro slows its roll on system improvements

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Houston-area transit officials will wait out a little more of the coronavirus crisis before soliciting bids on five of the first projects in their $7 billion construction bonanza for bus and rail upgrades. “Moving this by a … Continue reading →

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Metro referendum is set

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members voted Tuesday to ask voters in November for permission to borrow up to $3.5 billion, without raising taxes. The money would cover the first phase of what local leaders expect to be … Continue reading →

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Still tweaking the Metro referendum

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Extending one rail line to Hobby Airport instead of two has generated some savings in the projected cost, which can then allow for other things to be done. The expected price of extending the Green Line and Purple Line light … Continue reading →

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Metro still talking how to get to Hobby

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

At some point, we gotta make a final call. Transit and city officials took turns Tuesday trading barbs over the best way to route light rail from Houston’s East End to Hobby Airport. In a sometimes-testy back and forth, District … Continue reading →

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Still working on the light rail options for MetroNEXT

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The most interesting part of this discussion of where a proposed extension of the Green and/or Purple lines to Hobby Airport may go is unfortunately not on the drawing board at this time. Speaking before the METRO board, District I … Continue reading →

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How many rail lines to Hobby do we need?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe just one. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members on Thursday agreed to plan on one light rail line to Hobby Airport, as opposed to the two initially proposed as part of the agency’s long-term transportation plan. The first draft of … Continue reading →

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Can we share these lanes?

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is rethinking how the light rail lines run in parts of downtown. Traffic woes and collisions along the newest light-rail lines in downtown have Metro leaders toying with the idea of backpedaling on their promise not to close parts … Continue reading →

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Here comes the fully extended Green Line

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah. Oh what a rocky ride it’s been. Political opposition. A Buy America violation. Construction delays. Contaminated soil that sank an underpass. Overweight and badly-manufactured railcars. More construction delays. When trains finally start rolling along the new Green Line into … Continue reading →

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Metro celebrates ridership increase one year after new bus network rollout

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Leah Binkovitz reports. From September 2015 (the first full month after the switch was implemented) to July 2016 (the most recent complete month), METRO saw its ridership on local bus and light-rail add an additional 4.5 million boardings — a … Continue reading →

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Harrisburg overpass nearing completion

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah. Six months ago, Harrisburg Boulevard looked almost exactly as it has for more than five years, dotted by construction equipment. East of downtown Houston, the thoroughfare was more exposed dirt than street, and showed little sign of the rail … Continue reading →

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Harrisburg overpass update

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Progress. Right now the East End light rail line stops a few blocks short of the Magnolia Transit Center on Harrisburg. Metro was going to build an underpass at the Hughes Street railroad crossing, but cancelled those plans because of worries … Continue reading →

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One year of the Green and Purple light rail lines

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ridership keeps trending up, but it’s hard to get a handle on the details from this story. Monday marks one-year of Metropolitan Transit Authority’s two newest rail lines. Well, most of Metro’s two newest rail lines. The last mile or … Continue reading →

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Lots of people took the train to the games

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. After handling more than a quarter-million rail trips over the four-day NCAA Final Four period, Metro is calling it a slam dunk. “These are numbers are fantastic for us,” spokesman Jerome Gray said. Metro said 255,700 rail boardings occurred … Continue reading →

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Harrisburg line overpass delayed again

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Just, ugh. A rail overpass vital to completion of the East End light rail line that has divided neighbors and eroded public confidence will be delayed another four months, Metro officials confirmed Monday. “It has been the project from … Continue reading →

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Red lights on the Green line

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Light rail is up and running along Harrisburg on the city’s east side, but Metro’s construction continues to be a sore spot with area residents because it seems at every turn the work is taking longer than promised. The … Continue reading →

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August ridership numbers for the new rail lines

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Again, don’t get too excited just yet. Use of Houston’s two newest rail lines increased in August, though it took a strong late showing and free rides to finally meet the ridership expectations Metro officials outlined in May. According to … Continue reading →

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Metro still dealing with CAF problems

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The more things change… Metro and the maker of its newest light rail cars have had many costly and time-consuming conflicts. The latest is forcing the transit agency to spend $1 million so its mechanics can lift the vehicles. The … Continue reading →

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New rail line numbers notch up in July

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

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, … Continue reading →

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Yes, the new rail lines are off to a slower-than-hoped start

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not panic. Our own history shows that early rail ridership numbers are often highly variable. Slightly more than a month after the Metropolitan Transit Authority christened two new rail lines – built at a cost of $1.4 billion and … Continue reading →

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Let’s wait for a normal week before we judge ridership numbers

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From The Highwayman: Two new light rail lines have gotten off to slow start, according to early ridership figures from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, but officials and riders still hope the Green and Purple Line will meet expectations. The two … Continue reading →

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How the East End got its rail line

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A great overview of how we got here with the Harrisburg and Southeast lines, the genesis of which go back a lot farther than the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. The working- and middle-class Mexican-American residents of the East End lacked … Continue reading →

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New rail lines officially open

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. Two new light rail lines might have been the ones debuting Saturday, but for many riders it was the East End, Third Ward and MacGregor Park neighborhoods themselves that were on display. After years of construction and … Continue reading →

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New rail lines set to officially open

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so ready. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, after numerous delays, will christen the Green and Purple lines Saturday with free rides and community celebrations, just in time for Memorial Day. The openings signify the end of a long, sometimes painful … Continue reading →

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Bikes now allowed on light rail all day

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news from the inbox: METRORail is opening its doors to bikes during all regular service hours just in time for Houston’s Bike to Work Day observance, Friday, May 15, 2015. The new hours are made possible with the … Continue reading →

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Metro writes off old light rail studies

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What might have been. Houston transit officials Thursday wrote off $104 million wasted on multiple studies related to the controversial University and Uptown light rail projects that ultimately stalled due to a lack of funding and fierce opposition from the … Continue reading →

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Overpass groundbreaking

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Progress. After years of conflict among community members and leaders, construction of Metro’s new Harrisburg overpass is officially underway in Houston’s East End. “It’s not just a bridge; it’s going to be a landmark in the city,” Metropolitan Transit Authority … Continue reading →

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Metro’s new rail station

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Central Station is finally open, though in a much less impressive form than it might have been. Houston’s first new rail station in nearly 14 months [opened] Wednesday, but it won’t serve its main purpose – connecting riders on … Continue reading →

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Meet your Harrisburg overpass

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks nice enough. Going to be painful getting to the finished product, though. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members are set to approve a $30.66 million construction contract on the half-mile overpass next week. The overpass is needed to complete the … Continue reading →

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On streetcars and BRT

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite considers some alternatives to light rail. Two new light rail lines set to start service early next year will drastically expand Houston’s rail network, but our city will remain dreadfully underserved by the system. Many neighborhoods seeing a greater … Continue reading →

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Metro gets some new rail cars online

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Finally. Eight of the long-delayed railcars needed to expand light rail service in Houston are expected to start ferrying passengers in the first week of 2015, promising some relief from rush-hour crowding, transit officials said Thursday. The cars, the first … Continue reading →

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From the “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” department

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Every dark cloud has a silver lining, y’all. You just have to know where to look for it. Metro’s four-month delay in opening two rail lines will give the agency time to obtain enough cars to prevent severe crowding when … Continue reading →

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Metro board approves updated bus reimagining plan

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With some provisos. Despite vocal opposition, Metropolitan Transit Authority board members tentatively approved sweeping changes to the bus route system that restructure routes and change daily habits for nearly everyone who uses a bus today. The approval authorizes staff to … Continue reading →

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