da1 alert: transit ridership up

ryan_98 · Mar 10, 2014

any idea when metro will release the ridership statistics for dec, jan, and feb?
i'm curious to see how the new red line rail segment has fared, and if it's had an impact on the overall numbers.

previous reports can be found here - http://www.ridemetro.org/News/Documents/RidershipReport.aspx

Houston among top cities in public transportation ridership growth

Americans are boarding public buses, trains and subways in greater numbers than any time since the suburbs began booming.

Nearly 10.7 billion trips in 2013, to be precise — the highest total since 1956, according to ridership data reported by transit systems nationally and released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association.

Large bus systems with increases were located in the following areas: Washington, DC (3.5%); Houston, TX (3.4%); Cincinnati, OH (3.4%); and Seattle, WA (3.1%).

Transit ridership has now fully recovered from a dip caused by the Great Recession. With services restored following economy-driven cutbacks, ridership numbers appear set to continue what had been a steady increase.

"People are making a fundamental shift to having options" aside from a car in how they get around, said Michael Melaniphy, president and CEO of the public transportation association. "This is a long-term trend. This isn't just a blip."

Expanding bus and train networks help spur the growth.

Ridership on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority light-rail trains increased six percent over 2012, as the public took advantage of an expanded network of lines. Overall, LA Metro gained nine million trips to reach 478 million in 2013, the transportation association said. Among the other transit systems in California with record ridership was the Caltrain commuter rail service that connects San Francisco with Silicon Valley.

Houston, which has been more notable for its sprawl than its public transportation offerings, had a large ridership gain. So did Seattle, Miami, Denver and San Diego. The New York area's behemoth transit network saw the greatest gain, accounting for one in three trips nationally.

Transit advocates argue that the public increasingly values the ability to get around without a car. They offer as evidence the nation's urban shift and the movement to concentrate new development around transit hubs.

"People want to work and live along transit lines," Melaniphy said. "Businesses, universities and housing are all moving along those corridors."
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http://www.khou.com/news/local/Hous...ransportation-ridership-growth-249270451.html

da1 · Mar 10, 2014

Great news

ryan_98 · Mar 27, 2014

ryan_98 said: ↑

any idea when metro will release the ridership statistics for dec, jan, and feb?
Click to expand...

bump. stumbled upon these today, looks good so far for the expansion.

FIRST MONTH RIDERSHIP EXCEEDS NORTH LINE PROJECTIONS 2/12/14

in its first full month of service (January), the North Line averaged 4,200 weekday boardings. That’s 1,600 more than what is forecasted to be the average daily ridership by the end of the 2014 fiscal year.
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METRO Rounds Up Record Rail Ridership with Rodeo 3/19/14

METRORail busts another record with a combination of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) and Spring Break riders! More than 71,000 trips were taken by light-rail on Thursday, March 13 with Maroon 5 performing at HLSR! That number surpassed the 70,611 highest single day total recorded on March 14, 2012, when The Band Perry had top bill.

The daily ridership total for last Thursday was 71,054. The average ridership for typical Thursdays on METRORail the first two months of 2014 is roughly 43,800. The average ridership for a typical Rodeo concert days this year is about 62,000.

The accomplishment comes just months after the inauguration of service for the first phase of light-rail expansion on Housto/n's near-north side. The North Line extension contributed 5,129 boardings, or 7.3% ridership for last Thursday's record. METRORail celebrated its 100 millionth boarding in April 2013 - four years ahead of schedule.
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http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXMETRO/bulletins/a4ecc7
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXMETRO/bulletins/abe38b

bigtexxx · Mar 27, 2014

bus gains

RKREBORN · Mar 27, 2014

I have a car, why should I care?

LosPollosHermanos · Mar 27, 2014

RKREBORN said: ↑

I have a car, why should I care?
Click to expand...

Do you live in Katy?

Air Langhi · Mar 27, 2014

bigtexxx said: ↑

bus gains
Click to expand...

Both those articles are mostly talking about MetroRail

On December 21, 2013, METRO launched its 5.3-mile North Line. The momentous event came just days before the 10 year anniversary of the existing Red Line. And, in its first full month of service (January), the North Line averaged 4,200 weekday boardings. That’s 1,600 more than what is forecasted to be the average daily ridership by the end of the 2014 fiscal year.

“This speaks volumes about the value of rail in the community, and how expanding the reach of one form of transit enhances others like our bus service,” said METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia.

“Though these are early numbers, they’re a good indication of how well the extension has been received by the community,” said Tom Lambert, interim METRO president & CEO. “It’s providing better connectivity and improving the customer experience on many fronts.”

So, what’s the drive behind the numbers? Since the Red Line extended service north, it has:

Increased the amount of transit service, adding 192 rail trips each weekday, replacing 149 weekday bus trips
Increased the frequency of service: peak and midday service has been running every 12 minutes compared to 15 minutes on previous bus route
Improved on-time performance: Route 79, which serves the Northline Transit Center (the line’s last station), scaled to the top 10 routes for on-time performance from the bottom ten

Ridership on Main Street’s Red Line surpassed 100 million boardings in 2013, four years ahead of forecasted projections. Ridership on the North Line is expected to increase when two other rail lines open, the Burnett Transit Center is completed and a system reimagining plan is approved and implemented.
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METRORail Rounds Up Record Riders with Rodeo and Spring Break
METRORAil Platform, Rodeo, Reliant Park

Ridership like this at Reliant Park METRORail platforms helped set a new record for ridership.

METRORail busts another record with a combination of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) and Spring Break riders! More than 71,000 trips were taken by light-rail on Thursday, March 13 with Maroon 5 performing at HLSR! That number surpassed the 70,611 highest single day total recorded on March 14, 2012, when The Band Perry had top bill.

"We couldn't be prouder of this accomplishment. Our operators and staff have been working overtime to earn this big belt buckle for ridership," said METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia.

"They delivered nearly double the normal daily rides last Thursday, proving our point, once again - if you build smart transit ... people will use it. This is a smart system and the addition of our new North Line helped thousands more Houstonians get to Reliant Park for a really great show and exhibit," Garcia concluded.

The daily ridership total for last Thursday was 71,054. The average ridership for typical Thursdays on METRORail the first two months of 2014 is roughly 43,800. The average ridership for a typical Rodeo concert days this year is about 62,000.

The accomplishment comes just months after the inauguration of service for the first phase of light-rail expansion on Houston's near-north side. The North Line extension contributed 5,129 boardings, or 7.3% ridership for last Thursday's record. METRORail celebrated its 100 millionth boarding in April 2013 - four years ahead of schedule.
Click to expand...

ryan_98 · Mar 27, 2014

RKREBORN said: ↑

I have a car, why should I care?
Click to expand...

this means less cars on the road. also, the red line expansion success, it's a good sign that the two lines currently under construction will also be successful.

longer term, if these numbers remain strong, it could further mean expansion to bigtexx's dismay

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