I'm not against light-rail. In fact, I'd prefer it. However, you must have more faith in them agreeing to funding in a relatively quick timeframe. I don't share the same faith. There is no way they'd get anything like this done before 2017. I mean, they're talking about construction on 290 and the Hempstead Tollway to continue through approximately 2030 according to the community newspaper I receive in Cypress.
On topic: I think rail to the airport(s), to all the major places in down town etc and out to all the major burbs would be a great project to undertake in the next 20 years. If they legalize gambling in Galveston, extend the line. I don't think they'd do it just for the super bowl though.
I think as long as the system in the city gets built in coordination with the ones to the burbs it would work out. If it's just going out to the burbs and nothing else it ends up becoming like Dallas with a small ridership for the amount of miles it has.
More rail is better than less rail because if stuff is not less there's more less stuff, then you might want to have some more. But then, your parents won't let you because there's only a little. If you really like something, you'll want more of it. We want more rail, we want more rail, Like, you really like it, you want more.
If rail ever happens from downtown to IAH it'll be part of a highspeed rail system to Dallas. It could then also connect the Woodlands. The city of Houston would be foolish to pay for that now. Light rail to IAH would be miserable w/ 900 stops. Highspeed rail to Dallas needs to happen. It's a no brainer. The uptown rail link is useless for Superbowl since it doesn't directly connect Reliant to the Galleria. It would take you almost an hour to get from Reliant to uptown given that you have to transfer downtown. Conversely, a taxi is 10 minutes. I think some day in the far off future they'll build a line down Kirby from Reliant area past Rice Village and connect to Washington Ave. That would be awesome to connect a lot of the night life in Houston which your average Houstonian would be more inclined to use once the sun goes down. But nobody ever asked me. Given that Rice Village fought against turning lanes on Kirby, I doubt it'll happen in my lifetime.
I've heard that too many times before... couldn't there be an express train and one that runs to stops? Like the NYC subway?
I doubt that. There's really nothing between IAH and downtown worth stopping at. They'd probably build the line right next to the Hardy toll road.
There could. That isn't really my point. Given the talk to build High Speed rail to Dallas that which would be funded privately, state or federally, Houston would be foolish to spend money on a line to IAH. Houston SHOULD build line to Hobby, however.
How do you know HSR wouldn't stop at IAH anyway? Seems like the most logical place for the line to end. Lots of parking and space nearby. Plus if there was a lightrail track from IAH to downtown, out of towners could simply switch trains once they got here.
What about the people that live in those areas? They deserve service too, and ironically are getting residential rail service before the rest of the city because they STFU unlike Afton Oaks.
It's not very densely populated. And if it is being built along the toll road (best/easiest path), then why put in stops that basically dump people in the middle of nowhere? The L in Chicago runs from Midway to downtown with very few stops along the way because airport lines are mostly built for express transit between a visitor center and a transportation hub. They're not built to service residents as much.
Are you saying that people along the way don't or won't ever go to IAH? And if SO, there are entrances and exits to the Hardy Toll Road between downtown and the IAH.
Because Continental (now United) lobbied very hard against rail to Dallas. One main stipulation they added was if the new rail connected downtown to the airport. So instead of competing against the airlines it actually would service local customers to get TO the airport. So if you combine the fact that HSR is gaining a little bit of momentum statewide with the fact that the airlines are insisting on DT-IAH, I don't know why Houston would attempt to fund it alone. That's just my opinion. Maybe I got it all wrong (but I doubt it).
The university line would be amazing when I was in college, that proposed line basically runs through all the popular undergrad hangout spots as well
