Houston rejects BRT in favor of light rail

[thelakelander]

Its telling when residents in one of the most spawling asphalt dependant communities in America thump their noses down at BRT and elect to go for a higher costing light rail plan. 

The Metropolitan Transit Authority board voted Thursday to use light rail on all five of its next rapid transit lines as required in a 2003 referendum, avoiding the less costly, and less popular, bus rapid transit.

The board also approved a route on Richmond and Wheeler for the controversial University line, which will provide a 10-mile east-west complement to the existing 7.5-mile Main Street line.

In 2005, residents and elected officials along the planned North, East End, Southeast and Uptown routes were dismayed to learn that Metro analysis showed the cost would be too high and ridership too low to justify federal funding for rail.

Instead, Metro said that BRT â€" buses that look like trains, running in a guideway â€" would be used initially on these four lines. Rails would be buried under the concrete for future conversion when riders increased enough to justify the added expense, they said.

But Metro president and CEO Frank Wilson said Thursday that it would cost less to build rail from the start than build BRT and convert it to rail later.

Light rail is possible now, Wilson said, because of a change in the way the Federal Transit Administration has agreed to grade Metro's application for 50 percent federal funding.

He said the FTA initially refused Metro's request that it consider that some people who will ride rail would not get on a bus â€" so-called rail bias. The FTA also agreed to evaluate the new lines as part of a coordinated transit system rather than individually, he said.

Doing so will boost the four lines' benefit-to-cost numbers and, Metro officials hope, make the expansion more appealing to the FTA. That is important because Metro is counting on the FTA to provide half the cost. Metro's last cost estimate for the five lines was $1.3 billion in 2005.

None of the funding is guaranteed. Metro still needs to complete a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the University line and amend its funding applications for the others to specify light rail.


Could be complete in 2012

Wilson said some of the work can begin before a reply is received, since site preparations for rail and BRT are similar, and the Westpark segment of the University line is not in dispute.

He said the five new lines would increase the number of rail cars needed to about 100 from the present 18.

Metro officials hope to have all five of the planned light rail lines completed in late 2012.

The University route approved by the board was a last-minute hybrid.

West of Main it will go, as expected, on Richmond, Cummins and Westpark. For the leg east of Main, Metro staff and consultants had recommended taking the line on Wheeler and Ennis to Alabama and ending it at Scott, beside the University of Houston.

That was a disappointment to several speakers who urged the board to adopt a route continuing north on Ennis to Elgin, then across the Gulf Freeway to the Eastwood Transit Center.

Going to the transit center, they said, would allow easy access to the rail for Park & Ride passengers from the Clear Lake area and bus riders from the East End.

Board chairman David Wolff said Metro wanted to do that but does not have enough money. Continuing the line to the Eastwood Transit Center would add $60 million to the price, he said.

The board also decided not to end the line at Scott and UH. Instead, it will piggyback on the planned Southeast line to Elgin and turn east to the transit center.

Building all the lines as light rail, Wolfe said, will allow Metro routes to overlap in other segments. For example, he said, riders on the west end of the University line will be able to go directly to the Galleria because some of the trains will run on the Uptown line tracks on Post Oak.

The proposed routes on Richmond and Wheeler drew mixed comments from more than 40 speakers.

Afton Oaks resident Chris Seger told the board: "By choosing Richmond, you have thumbed your nose at the democratic process and the will of the voters."

Several other speakers blasted Metro for deciding to use Wheeler, a broad residential street in the Third Ward.

Wolff said Metro will avoid taking homes on Wheeler by reducing the four traffic lanes to two wider lanes and will allow street parking. Metro also will move a planned station from the middle of a residential block to a commercial area east of Dowling, he said.

To preserve live oaks on Richmond, Wolff said, Metro has hired an arborist to supervise the movement of trees from the median to the sides. The street will have more trees after the construction than before, he said.

[downtownparks]

Link Please?

[Lunican]

Instead, Metro said that BRT â€" buses that look like trains, running in a guideway â€" would be used initially on these four lines. Rails would be buried under the concrete for future conversion when riders increased enough to justify the added expense, they said.

Glad to see JTA doesn't hold the patent on bad ideas. They were actually going to lay rail, pave over it and drive buses on it??

At least they are willing to change their plans.

[thelakelander]

Downtownparks, here you go:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/5223782.html


Here's an interesting article from their Editorial staff:

Connecting the Tracks -

Houston to save $600 million in the long run by building rail first instead of building BRT and converting to rail later.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5230480.html

[Ocklawaha]

They were actually going to lay rail, pave over it and drive buses on it??

Lunican, NO! NO! NO! My friend, nobody gives up a single lane to LRT if they don't want too! This is Denver and if you look real close you will see it is a regular DIAMOND or HOV LANE! Buses, carpools and LRV's all welcome. As long as the automobiles and buses don't try and follow the modern streetcars off onto private railroad track, it works just fine...besides, LRT had signal priority long before buses thought of it...Thus, follow the trolley, and scoot across town faster! The flip side are cities that don't want them to mix for speed or congestion purposes, like Tampa, there can be a small curb divider for a single bi-directional track...Portland allows you to drive on the LRT track but it is paved with cobblestones, and while you CAN use it to get past that slow deliver van, it will shake your coffee all over your lap, so it is a passive NON-LANE, but it is NOT illegal to drive in....Trolley nuts like some people you know in these forums that post in Purple, have a large alignment bill when they visit Portland in their cars!!!

PS: An afterthought, that any friend from Philly or San Fran, can tell you, the only downside to street track is driving too fast in wet conditions, getting both tires on the rails and having to slam on the brakes...HA HA...ZING! CA-POW! Good luck on that one...Like riding a butter coated roller coaster!

Ocklawaha

[Lunican]

The article said the rails would be BURIED UNDER the concrete. That doesn't describe tracks laid in the street. Maybe it is just poorly written.

[Steve]

Houston must be wrong.

JTA said that it would be cheaper to build bus highways and convert them to rail later.  They can't be wrong.