Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Houston

Houston, Texas: METRORail Light Rail

Description

Houston's first light rail line, the METRORail Red Line, began operation on 1 January 2004. It is 7.5 miles (12.0 km) long and runs from downtown Houston southward to the Texas Medical Center and the Reliant Park sports complex, terminating a short distance south of the Interstate 610 loop expressway. The rolling stock consists of Siemens Avanto S70 articulated light rail vehicles, which are also used in Charlotte. The tracks are mostly in reserved lanes in the center of streets, which led to a large number of automobile-train collisions (mostly caused by drivers making illegal left turns) in the first several months of operation.

After much controversy, plans are proceeding for light rail lines in five other corridors, starting with an east-west route.

Other Sites

Pictures

Pictures marked [New] were added on 15 June 2010.

[picture] A northbound train stops at the Hermann Park - Rice University station, in the middle of Fannin St. next to the park. [May 2008]

[picture] A southbound train on Fannin north of the Hermann Park - Rice University station. [May 2008]

[picture] A bit further north, a northbound train turns from Fannin onto San Jacinto St. just north of Hermann Park. From here, Fannin and San Jacinto have one-way traffic in opposite directions, with the METRORail tracks in their curb lanes. After a while, the tracks will rejoin and run down the center of Main St. into downtown Houston. [May 2008]

[New] [picture] This station on Main Street just south of the downtown core is probably my favorite light rail station in the country. :-) [May 2010]

[New] [picture] At Main Street Square, the tracks run through an animated fountain. [May 2010]

[New] [picture] The Preston station on Main Street in downtown Houston. [May 2010]

[New] [picture] Main Street climbs a bridge over Buffalo Bayou towards the end of the line. [May 2010]

[picture] The northern end of the line is at the University of Houston's downtown campus. [May 2008]

[front] | [back] A single-trip ticket from a vending machine at the UH-Downtown station. [May 2008]

This page was last updated on 15 June 2010.

Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Houston

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