Tag Archives: University line

Maybe the Inner Katy Line is only mostly dead

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one takeaway from this. Houston transit officials are approaching the next few months as a transitional period, as they assess basic improvements, the demands of travel and the expectations of riders eager for better service. “We are going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Maybe the Inner Katy Line is only mostly dead

Metro to kill Inner Katy line

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is such bullshit. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will further reduce its previously planned bus rapid transit efforts while boosting police presence on its routes and increasing its investment in so-called microtransit under its proposed fiscal 2025 budget. The draft … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro to kill Inner Katy line

Metro officially fails to follow through on the Universities Line

Posted on June 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cowards. Transit officials received a busload of criticism Thursday for the decision to pause the long-planned east-west spine of rapid transit in the region, with some critics questioning whether the decision was an attempt to kill the line altogether. “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro officially fails to follow through on the Universities Line

Metro to fund RYDE services

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, fine. Transit officials are poised to pick up the tab for another six months of funding on-demand rides around Second Ward and Third Ward. If approved by the Metropolitan Transit Authority board on Thursday, the agency would spend $216,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One more time for keeping the Universities line going

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Raj Mankad is a Chron editorial board member and a neighbor of mine, who once took public transit from Houston to Galveston to prove it could be done. He has now taken to the op-ed pages in favor of not … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

LINK Houston advocates for the Universities line

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From Sunday’s op-ed section, three leaders of LINK Houston advocate for the Universities BRT line as promised in the 2019 Metro referendum. This is the part that is most of interest to me: There’s a lot on the line. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on LINK Houston advocates for the Universities line

Ellis requests full Metro board vote on halting Universities BRT

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s at least put it on the record. Concerned the University Corridor rapid transit line project could be delayed for years, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Friday called on Metro to move forward with the voter-approved project and hold … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Metro officially puts Universities BRT line in the freezer

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Goddammit. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will not pursue the University Corridor bus rapid transit line, a core element of the MetroNext program, delaying the project indefinitely. During a Tuesday meeting of the board of directors’ Strategic Planning … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mayor criticized for Gulfton comments

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Community Leaders Demand Apology from Mayor Whitmire for Offensive Remarks About Gulfton Houston, TX – A coalition of over 20 community leaders and organizations has released a letter (see attached PDF) calling on Mayor Whitmire to retract … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mayor criticized for Gulfton comments

Metro Chair seeks to nullify 2019 election

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so mad about this I’m having a hard time seeing straight. Metro is beginning to steer in a different direction under Mayor John Whitmire and his appointed chair of the transit agency, pulling away from a planned expansion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Yeah, it looks like we do have to worry about Metro going backwards

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Transportation advocacy group LINK Houston, in its annual “Equity in Transit” report released this week, asked the region’s public transit provider to accelerate a $7.5 billion plan that was backed by Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mayor Whitmire appoints a new Metro Chair

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday announced CenterPoint Energy executive Elizabeth Brock would lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of directors. If approved, Brock would be the first Hispanic woman to lead the transit agency. “She brings … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gulfton BRT route approved

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward. Long-sought improvements to transit service in Gulfton – arguably among the Houston region’s most transit-starved areas – have an official line on the map, though rapid service remains years away. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials on Thursday approved the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Gulfton BRT route approved

Squeezing in the Gulfton BRT extension

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hope they find a way everyone can live with to make this work. Bringing better bus service to one of Houston’s most transit-dependent and oft-ignored areas has Metro officials balancing, yet again, how best to upgrade service without upsetting advocates and drivers. Approval … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Squeezing in the Gulfton BRT extension

Metro approves University BRT route

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still a lot of work to be done before any actual construction can begin. Metro officials on Wednesday approved a path for the 25.3 mile University Corridor in a rare split vote that keeps the region’s largest bus rapid transit project on track … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro approves University BRT route

Preferred path decision for University BRT line delayed

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still working out some issues with the community. A decision on the preferred path for Houston’s longest bus rapid transit line will wait a couple weeks longer following community outcry regarding a planned railroad overpass. Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro gets some BRT money

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Thank you, FTA, may we please have some more? Houston’s biggest bus rapid transit line, the planned University Corridor, is still on the drawing board, but already is drawing in federal funds. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a Thursday announcement, said … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro gets some BRT money

More on the planning for the University BRT line

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, Metro has to make some predictions about where transit will be needed. Building a line that goes through some of the densest parts of town probably helps with that. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials told voters in 2019 “we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the planning for the University BRT line

Time to meet the University Line BRT plans

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A big step forward, but there are many miles yet to go. The biggest of Metro’s big bus offerings is about to turn from lines on a map to a full-fledged discussion for Houston residents, as transit officials prepare for … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on the 11th Street project

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board mostly approves of the city’s plans for 11th Street in the Heights. Ever since Mayor Sylvester Turner unveiled his Vision Zero Action Plan — an ambitious program to end traffic fatalities by 2030 — the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the 11th Street project

Get ready for more construction in 2022

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Happy New Year! Here are the places you’ll want to avoid driving in 2022. Flush with green, Houston area transportation officials have a whiteboard full of highway and transit projects poised to start in 2022, but rolling out all that … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Get ready for more construction in 2022

Here comes that Universities BRT map

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Show me the route! The largest and most-sought segment of Metro’s planned bus rapid transit expansion in Houston is poised next week to officially move from being just lines on a map to the starting line — even if construction … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro moving forward on new BRT line

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As they should. Even with fewer riders hopping aboard and a more dour financial outlook, Metro officials say the agency is full steam ahead on a host of projects aimed at adding buses to scores of routes and neighborhoods. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Get ready for your first Universities Line BRT map

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Feel the excitement! No, seriously, we’ve waited a long time for this. The largest and most-sought segment of Metro’s planned bus rapid transit expansion in Houston is poised next week to officially move from being just lines on a map … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Let’s try and get those federal transit funds now

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Works for me. Transit officials, sensing the timing may be right to tap federal funds for major projects, are moving quickly on portions of a planned bus rapid transit line viewed by some as the backbone of Houston’s future movement. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let’s try and get those federal transit funds now

Uptown BRT officially opens

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the Silver Line. T.J. Buttons is used to a bus ride in Houston giving him plenty of time to check his phone. On that front, Houston’s first bus rapid transit route failed miserably. “It’s so fast,” Buttons said as … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uptown BRT pushed back to July

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sigh. Opening day for Houston’s first bus rapid transit line has been pushed back to mid-summer as construction enters the final steps along most of the route before reaching a three-month testing period. Service is expected to start no earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uptown BRT pushed back to July

Uptown BRT line update

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming, it’s coming. Hold your horses. The new year will come with a new sight in Houston: Big gray buses bounding along a dedicated lane on Post Oak through Uptown. For the first few weeks, however, people will not … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uptown BRT line update

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 →

Posted in Election 2019, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

There is no longer a ban on federal funds for rail on Richmond

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is about as bittersweet as it gets. There are no plans to build light rail on Richmond, but for the first time in a long time there is nothing stopping Metro from asking for federal funds to help pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

More details on the Metro referendum

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Still a work in progress. A planned 110 miles of two-way HOV along major freeways with eight new park and ride stations is expected to cost $1.37 billion, with another $383 million in improvements to operate 25 percent more bus … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Metro moving forward on 2019 referendum

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ready for it. The Metropolitan Transit Authority is expected to ask voters next fall for more than $3 billion in borrowing authority to implement its next wave of transit projects. The 20-year plan laid out by Metro officials includes … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro’s post-Culberson future

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You might not be aware of this, but famously anti-Metro Congressman John Culberson lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday. What might that mean for Metro? In one of the more stunning defeats of incumbent Republicans on Tuesday night, Lizzie … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Culberson does his Culberson thing to Metro again

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is. But maybe, just maybe, there’s now a sell-by date on it. Houston may have stopped building light rail lines, but the fight over them rages on — right to Washington where Rep. John Culberson again … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Culberson does his Culberson thing to Metro again