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Exactly. DART rail is in Dallas' core for a short amount of time. The ridership numbers for the amount of rail miles is pretty low. When Houston has it's next expansion, it'll have more riders than DART, with about half the miles. It has half the ridership, with like a sixth of the miles of track (before the Green Line opening).
The rail now currently connects a lot of the important areas in the inner loop. The next expansion will just connect the rest. They need to work on getting an extension to at least Hobby. Dallas has one to Love Field, and then Dfw Airport in a few years, iirc.
Can you imagine the ridership of a rail connecting galleria through montrose and then towards the med center? That alone would have double the ridership of the current track and increase the ridership of the current track.
Can you imagine the ridership of a rail connecting galleria through montrose and then towards the med center? That alone would have double the ridership of the current track and increase the ridership of the current track.
Too bad it wouldn't be built quick enough for me to use it.
Can you imagine the ridership of a rail connecting galleria through montrose and then towards the med center? That alone would have double the ridership of the current track and increase the ridership of the current track.
That is an area of Houston that to me would make sense for a METRO/MARTA like system
That is an area of Houston that to me would make sense for a METRO/MARTA like system
It really would. It would cut down most of the student and shopping populations of the people who mainly drive a few miles to the Galleria (like me). They should have planned this line when they planned the first few lines.
That is an area of Houston that to me would make sense for a METRO/MARTA like system
I think the first one was more event oriented.
The problem is the current full sense. It doesn't start out or end where a lot of people start out/ end the day.
Very few people can leave their homes and hop on the train or take a short bus ride to it. To get to the current line most people have to drive or take a long bus ride. If you have to take a bus 30 mins to the rail you might as well stay on the darn bus because it usually goes the the same darn place the rail is going anyway.
I know there are plans for commuter rails to the SW but I think light rail to the closer parts of the SW would be sweet too. The Bellaire, Bissonnett buses have some of the highest riderships in Metro. A rail going from the medcenter on Holcomb all the way to the Beltway would be sweet.
Nah, if these cities can build an LRT system that is flexible and reliable. It can work just as well. The whole purpose is to get people from point A to point B. This can be done efficiently with light rail. The issue with Houston is it does it in the most cheap and unreliable way possible. Dallas simply doesn't have the core or layout to have a successful rail system imo. Light Rail can travel up to speeds just as high as heavy rail, but the issue is that light rail is used more for the inner city and requires more stops. It usually never gets the opportunity to reach top speed.
Heavy Rail is used for inner city also but still reaches higher speeds unless the Stations are really close together. A big difference though is most Heavy Rail is directed above or below traffic instead of on the same surface as car traffic. Ofcourse you know Houston has had problems with cars hitting the train or vise a verse. In Atlanta that never happens and can't happen really.
Here's a good example of the two systems speed while in town. This is Houston's Metro Rail covering the 2.3 mile stretch through town from Ensemble to UH Downtown in about 9 minutes.
Here's Marta covering the 2.5 miles through town from Arts Center to Five Points in about 7.5 minutes. Not a huge deal of difference but keep in mind the Marta Trains are atleast two or three times as long as the Metro Line trains. Note: This is four years ago and an old train car before they were refurbished.
Heavy Rail is used for inner city also but still reaches higher speeds unless the Stations are really close together. A big difference though is most Heavy Rail is directed above or below traffic instead of on the same surface as car traffic. Ofcourse you know Houston has had problems with cars hitting the train or vise a verse. In Atlanta that never happens and can't happen really.
Here's a good example of the two systems speed while in town. This is Houston's Metro Rail covering the 2.3 mile stretch through town from Ensemble to UH Downtown in about 9 minutes.
Here's Marta covering the 2.5 miles through town from Arts Center to Five Points in about 7.5 minutes. Not a huge deal of difference but keep in mind the Marta Trains are atleast two or three times as long as the Metro Line trains. Note: This is four years ago and an old train car before they were refurbished.
The comparison isn't good though because Houston light rail is situated within the street; while Marta isn't. It would be pretty dangerous to have trains moving through the streets of Houston at 60+ mph.
Problem is, you're basing this on assumptions, maybe projections? Let's wait until MetroRail's 'next' expansion is up and running before we make comparisons.
Do you know the areas of Houston these lines are going through? They are underestimating the numbers like they did with the first line. Houston rail is urban rail and it's at street level, so it's easier for people to walk and use the station. DART rail is setup like a commuter rail system, with stations further apart, and away from where people live (Green Line being the best example of this, especially the southern parts of it).
Quote:
Originally Posted by annie_himself
It really would. It would cut down most of the student and shopping populations of the people who mainly drive a few miles to the Galleria (like me). They should have planned this line when they planned the first few lines.
They did. It's called the University/Blue Line. Like others have said, Houston didn't have any strong supports of rail like Dallas did. Metro built the first line without Fed help, as people like Tom Delay blocked funding. A lot of people complain about that line, but it would have been a lot better without Tom Delay.
The comparison isn't good though because Houston light rail is situated within the street; while Marta isn't. It would be pretty dangerous to have trains moving through the streets of Houston at 60+ mph.
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