Tag: Metro Rail

15 Comments

If you can’t wait just those few more years to hop on the new light-rail line serving the East End, this automotive video approximation might tide you over. HAIF poster ricco67’s tracing of the drivable portions of the route from the new Smith St. station on the western edge of Downtown (shared with the new Southeast Line) to the Magnolia Transit Center provides snapshots of construction progress and a steady diet of orange construction barrels. Also available: these shorter tours showing progress on the Southeast Line and the coming extension to the existing North Line:

East End Line, Light-Rail, Metro Rail, New Construction, North Line, Southeast Line, Transportation, Videos

Real Estate Marketing

05/06/11 12:13pm

Metro Asks for Help Coming Up with Names for Already Named Light Rail Stations

25 Comments

See that map up there, showing all the stations on Metro’s planned light-rail lines? Metro is asking the public for help naming those stations. But not the stations that don’t have any names indicated next to them — the transit agency isn’t quite yet ready to get to those. No, Metro wants your help choosing names for the stations that are already marked with names. Like, the “Burnett Transit Center.” What should that station be named? Anyone? Anyone? And how about the one marked “Boundary”? Any suggestions? Spicoli?

This is, of course, the best kind of call for submissions. If you can do better than what they’ve already got, go ahead! If you can’t beat what’s there already, why bother? And you can get an idea what the fallback is gonna be, if all the suggestions suck. Just think what we might have ended up calling East Downtown if that naming “contest” had been pitched like this: Yeah, we’re threatening to name this area EaDo — unless you stop us, with something better. How well would that have worked?

You can get a sense of where the stations are planned for the new North, East End, and Southeast Lines from these maps:

East End Line, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, Names, North Line, Real Estate Marketing, Southeast Line

Near Northside

02/22/11 1:07pm

What’s Left of the Burnett Transit Center

Proposed Developments, Transportation

25 Comments

Has Metro ever made a more expensive mistake than spending $42 million on a contract with a Spanish rail-car construction firm that violated federal procurement rules? Now that the American subsidiary of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles has agreed to return $14 million of that money, the answer is yes: That would be the $41 million Houston’s transit agency reports it spent on developing an intermodal terminal at the corner of Main and Burnett streets just north of Downtown. Metro CEO George Greanias confirms the agency has given up on the design (above), which would have included a giant octopus-like dome, bus bays, a commuter rail terminal, a “kiss-and-ride” area, and maybe a Metro RideStore, restrooms, newsstands, food stands, and gift shops. There will still be a Burnett Transit Center station with a North Line rail stop, but Greanias tells the Chronicle‘s Chris Moran the trashed design would have been too expensive to run. Metro may have even killed the bus station part: Greanias says they haven’t decided whether any other modes of transit will connect to the light-rail line at that location.

Metro admits it blew a large fortune [Houston Chronicle]
Intermodal Terminal Frequently Asked Questions
Previously on Swamplot: Main St. Intermodal Transit Center Kiss-Off, On the Shelf: That Grand North Main Intermodal Center
Previously on Swamplot: Houstonâ€™s Next Light Rail Lines Delayed Until 2014, Feds To Metro: Back off the Spanish Trains and Weâ€™ll Fund Your North and Southeast Lines

Image: Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects

77009, Buses, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, Near Northside, North Line, Proposed Developments, Railroad Stations

Quicklink

01/04/11 11:18am

Work on the New Light Rail Lines

No Comments

WORK ON THE NEW LIGHT RAIL LINES Construction crews are back at work on the North and Southeast rail lines and federal funds have been flowing again to Metro, Chris Moran reports. Late last year, the transit agency was able to cancel the notorious $330 million contract with a Spanish railcar vendor that violated federal procurement rules — but it won’t get back the $27 million it already spent: “Last month, the Federal Transit Administration sent the first $50 million of the grant money for use on the North and Southeast lines. Last week, the FTA issued pre-clearance letters Metro needed before it could proceed with more than $12 million worth of projects for which it is relying on federal reimbursements. Ultimately, the FTA will pay about half the cost of the North and Southeast lines.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]

Metro, Metro Rail, North Line, Southeast Line

10/21/10 2:58pm

Metro Light Rail Construction Slows to a Crawl

Quicklink, Transportation

68 Comments

METRO LIGHT RAIL CONSTRUCTION SLOWS TO A CRAWL More repercussions from Metro’s Spanish-train procurement fiasco and the transit agency’s ensuing budget crisis: This morning CEO George Greanias announced dramatic cutbacks on all new light-rail construction until the future of the project’s federal funding becomes clearer. This year’s expansion budget is being cut by almost 70 percent, but the project is not shutting down completely — because doing so would cost an additional $200 million, Greanias and board chairman Gilbert Garcia said. Left to lope along until the end of the year: Utility work on the North and Southeast Lines, and utility and road work in “select areas” of the East End Line [Hair Balls; previously on Swamplot]

East End Line, Financing, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, North Line, Southeast Line, Transportation

Eminent Domain

09/10/10 1:12pm

92 Eminent Domain Cases on 3 Lines: Metro’s Light Rail Land Acquisition Scorecard

Quicklink, Southeast Houston, Transportation

3 Comments

92 EMINENT DOMAIN CASES ON 3 LINES: METRO’S LIGHT RAIL LAND ACQUISITION SCORECARD Nick Boulos’s former Shell station on the corner of MLK and Old Spanish Trail “is among 133 pieces of property [Metro] has acquired along the Southeast Corridor, including 27 in which Metro invoked eminent domain. Of those, 21 (including Boulosâ€™) were settled by negotiation. Another 7 remain to be mediated or possibly settled in court. In the East End, METRO has obtained 135 parcels, filed 47 eminent domain cases, and settled 33 by negotiation, leaving 14 for mediation or the courtroom. On the Northside, METRO has acquired 113 total pieces of property, filed 18 eminent domain cases, and settled 16 by negotiation, leaving 2 for mediation or the courtroom.” [Fox 26] Rendering of Southeast Line on MLK between Griggs Rd. and OST: Metro

77021, East End, East End Line, Eminent Domain, Land Sales, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, North Line, Southeast Houston, Southeast Line

Cancellations and Delays

09/09/10 5:32pm

Houston’s Next Light Rail Lines Delayed Until 2014

Financing, Transportation

20 Comments

Those trains from Spain that gave the feds cause to complain yesterday are gonna delay the completion of all three light-rail lines now under construction, Metro announced today. The transit agency backed off its earlier ETA for the North, Southeast, and East End lines, saying that meeting the previously announced October 2013 completion date is no longer feasible. The problem: getting at $900 million in grant money from the Federal Transit Administration, which Metro had been expecting to arrive soon. The FTA is now requiring a promise from the transit agency to rebid the railcar contract before it’ll continue considering the application for the bulk of those funds. Sez Metro: “A delay of up to one year is anticipated.”

Metro: Completion of 3 light-rail lines pushed back up to a year [River Oaks Examiner]
Clarification Regarding Rail Construction Schedule [Metro]
Previously on Swamplot: Feds To Metro: Back off the Spanish Trains and We’ll Fund Your North and Southeast Lines

Drawing of future Southeast Corridor light rail line on MLK near Madalyn Ln.: Metro

Cancellations and Delays, East End Line, Financing, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, North Line, Southeast Line, Transportation

09/08/10 12:14pm

Feds To Metro: Back off the Spanish Trains and We’ll Fund Your North and Southeast Lines

Quicklink, Transportation

10 Comments

FEDS TO METRO: BACK OFF THE SPANISH TRAINS AND WE’LL FUND YOUR NORTH AND SOUTHEAST LINES Calling the results of its 4-month-long investigation “both alarming and disturbing,” the Federal Transit Administration scolded Houston’s transit agency for systematically trying to bypass federal rules in the signing of 2 light-rail-vehicle contracts with a Spanish manufacturer. But the violations won’t derail funding for the light rail lines — as long as Metro’s new management team promises to rebid the contract and follow federal “Buy America” rules. A letter from FTA administrator Peter Rogoff said Houston commuters shouldn’t be punished for Metro’s violations: “The Administration still believes that the North and Southeast Corridor projects have merit and we stand behind our Fiscal Year 2011 budget request of $150 million for the two projects.â€ [FTA]

Financing, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, North Line, Southeast Line, Transportation

08/20/10 10:18am

Light Rail Construction Slowdown

Quicklink, Transportation

No Comments

LIGHT RAIL CONSTRUCTION SLOWDOWN Metro officials say they’re still confident that the $800 million federal grant necessary to complete the North and Southeast lines is forthcoming, but the transportation agency has already begun slowing the pace of construction in response to a $49 million budget shortfall: â€œSo far, officials said, the work that has been put off has been minimal on the North line, which is expected to run from north Houston to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park. Metro has delayed road reconstruction work on Fulton Street and has put off awarding a contract for the expansion and construction of a rail facility on Fannin at the south end of the line near Reliant Park and the 610 Loop. Those delays could just mark the beginning, Metro’s Acting President and CEO George Greanias said.â€ [Houston Chronicle, previously on Swamplot]

Cancellations and Delays, Financing, Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, New Construction

Quicklink

07/29/10 7:52pm

A Little Encouragement for Houston’s Light-Rail Straggler

49 Comments

A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT FOR HOUSTON’S LIGHT-RAIL STRAGGLER Metro’s University Line has passed its final environmental review, the transit agency announced today. “The approval in the form of a federal Record of Decision allows Metro to go forward with utility coordination, design and pre-construction planning along the 11.3-mile route, some of which will run along Richmond Avenue from roughly Main to Cummins streets.” [River Oaks Examiner]

Light-Rail, Metro Rail, University Line

Proposed Developments

03/19/10 4:16pm

Where the New Light Rail Lines Are Stuck

Public Transportation

22 Comments

Here’s a little handy graphic from Mayor Parker’s Metro transition task force, identifying what the team considers “major unresolved design issues” in the planned East End, Southeast, University, and Uptown light-rail lines. Attempts to resolve all 6 of them appear to be “bogged down” at the Metro staff level, according to the task force committee. Each problem might delay construction or increase cost, and each has already been “actively discussed” for at least a year.

What are they?

the Downtown alignments of the East End Line and Southeast Line on Capital and Rusk streets as they cross the Main Street Line;
how the East End and Southeast Lines and car traffic will flow around the proposed Dynamo Stadium site in East Downtown;
how grade separation will work with a freight-rail crossing on the East End Line on Harrisburg near Hughes St.;
details of the Southeast and University Lines near the University of Houston along Scott St.;
how the University Line will cross and interact with Main Street Line at the Wheeler station in Midtown; and
the design of the Uptown Line north of San Felipe, along the 610 West Loop.

Oh, and then there’s this little bit about finding the money to build it all:

Light-Rail, Metro, Metro Rail, Proposed Developments, Public Transportation

Fort Bend County

03/19/10 10:51am

Extending Metro’s Main St. Rail Line to Fort Bend County

Proposed Developments, Public Transportation, Quicklink

38 Comments

EXTENDING METRO’S MAIN ST. RAIL LINE TO FORT BEND COUNTY Metro’s lame-duck board gave its staff a half-million-dollar go-ahead yesterday to figure alignments, hold public meetings, and begin environmental studies on an 8.2-mile commuter rail line along U.S. 90A. The hunt for federal funding comes next: “It was the second development this month in efforts to bring commuter rail to the Houston region. The Gulf Coast Rail District recently hired a Houston engineering firm to study a line along U.S. 290 to Hempstead. A key advantage of Metro’s [Fort Bend] plan, [Chairman David] Wolff said, is that it would use trains Metro already owns on tracks that would parallel Union Pacific freight tracks in the same corridor, tying into the existing Main Street light rail line to create a seamless experience for passengers. The commuter line would begin at Fannin South, the southern end of the Main Street line, and continue to the Fort Bend County Line at Beltway 8.” [Houston Chronicle]

Commuter Rail, Fort Bend County, Light-Rail, Metro Rail, Proposed Developments, Public Transportation

03/10/10 9:56pm

Mayor Parker: Maybe We Can’t Build the University or Uptown Light Rail Lines

Proposed Developments, Public Transportation, Quicklink

51 Comments

MAYOR PARKER: MAYBE WE CAN’T BUILD THE UNIVERSITY OR UPTOWN LIGHT RAIL LINES Suddenly, 2 of Metro’s 5 planned new light-rail lines are looking a lot less inevitable: “Parker said members of her transition team have ‘drilled down’ into Metro’s finances and she now feels comfortable only with the funding plans of three rail lines: the East End, North and Southeast. Construction on those lines is under way. Parker’s goal is to make sure those three lines are built â€œvery, very rapidly,â€ she said. The other two, the Uptown and University lines, ‘are lines that I want to see built, but until we can finalize all the numbers, and some of them are still moving, I’m not going to commit to whether that is possible.’â€ [Houston Chronicle]

Financing, Light-Rail, Metro Rail, Proposed Developments, University Line, Uptown Line

Galleria

03/01/10 10:06am

Post Oak Strip Centers Versus the Uptown Light Rail Plan: The Gathering Storm

Proposed Developments, Public Transportation, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers, Traffic

70 Comments

At a meeting last week at Kenny & Ziggy’s Deli organized by Jim “Mattress Mack” MacIngvale, owners of businesses located along Post Oak Blvd.’s vast double phalanx of front-loading strip centers — and representatives of a few of their landlords — groused about Metro’s design for the new Uptown Line and prepared for possible battle. The Examiner Newspapers’ Michael Reed first brought attention to a few quirks of the latest design for the Post Oak stretch of the light-rail line late last year: It features 7 stations, 5 gated crossings, and in all close to 2 dozen traffic signals along the 1.7-mile path from Richmond Ave. to the 610 West Loop. It also blocks all instances of that staple of sprawl-style shopping-center development: the non-intersection left turn.

Had Metro been communicating its plans to the property owners? Had the property owners been relaying any information they received from the transit agency to their tenants?