prepared by Christof Spieler, cspieler@ctchouston.org, Jun 21 2005. Last updated June 21 2005.
Why this matters
Commuter rail could be implemented in Houston to bring suburban commuters into the core of the city.
Current status
HGAC Harris County, and METRO have been considering commuter rail projects in the Houston area. Some studies have been done, but no projects have moved
into the design stage, and no funding has been approved.
What is commuter rail?
Commuter rail is a specific technology used for a specific purpose. The name can be misleading; many other rail technologies can be used to carry
commuters, including light rail and heavy rail (a.k.a. subways). Furthermore, commuter rail can use the same equipment as intercity rail service,
but intercity rail service, which is not intended to carry commuters, is not commuter rail.
Commuter rail, like light rail and subways, is a means of urban/suburban mass transit. The fundamental difference is that commuter rail operates on
the nationwide railroad network. Commuter rail trains are compatible with freight and Amtrak trains and operate on the same tracks. This is a legal as
well as technical distinction; commuter rail safety standards are set by the Federal Railroad Administration while standards for other rail transit modes
are set by the Federal Transit Administration.
Technologically, commuter rail is no different than intercity rail; theose modes differ in purpose, not technology. In many countries, it is difficult
to define whether certain trains are in fact commuter rail or intercity rail. In the United States, the distinction is clear since Amtrak, the
national passenger rail service, operates all intercity rail service but is not allowed to provide commuter rail service. Commuter rail, like other
mode of urban rail transit, is owned and operated by states or local transit agencies, albeit with some federal funding.
Some older commuter rail systems (in New York and Philadelphia, for example) are electric powered. However, this is expensive and the only electric
commuter rail being built today is extensions to those existing systems. All otyher systems are diesel-powered. Hybrid and natural gas powered rail locomotive
exist and could be adapted for commuter rail use, but this has not been done.
What commuter rail can do
Commuter rail can operate only on railroad lines. Commuter rail trains are not suitable for operating in city streets, and diesel-powered commuter
trains cannot operate in subways. Practically speaking, commuter rail is feasible only on active or abandoned railroad lines; it is nearly impossible to
create a new commuter rail alignment in an urban area.
While diesel commuter rail trains can go as fast as other rail transit modes (79 mph is easily possible) they cannot accelerate as fast. Thus,
commuter rail technology is not suitable for a service the requires frequent stops.
Commuter rail can mix with freight trains on the same tracks. However, commuter rail trains run at faster speeds than freight trains, and freight trains
do not operate on reliable schedules. In order to accomodate both, accomodations must be made. If freight traffic is not busy, freight trains can operate
at different times than commuter trains, for example at night or during the midday lull. If freight traffic is busy, additional tracks and more sophisticated
signalling systems may be required to accomodate commuter trains. In many cases, commuter train frequency or operating hours are limited by the needs of
freight traffic. Adding commuter rail to a busy freight rail lines often requires very expensive upgrades.
The maintenance standards for freight and passenger rail are different. Some freight lines -- especially little-used ones -- may be maintained to
speed limits as low as 10 or 15 miles per hour. In this case, adding commuter rail service at acceptable speeds may require completely rebuilding the track.
Most commuter rail systems collect and even sell tickets on board the train. Thus, station facilities can be minimal: a short concrete platform may be
enough. Typical suburban commuter rail stations may include two platforms, simple shelters, ticket vending machines, and a parking lot.
Freight rail tracks are owned by private corporations which have the right to determine whether commuter trains will use those tracks or not. Transit
agencies must negotiate with the freight railroads to buy lines, buy space alongside existign tracks to lay new ones, or lease access to tracks.
Because of the shared track, diesel power, and simple stations, commuter rail lines can be very inexpensive to implement compared to other rail options.
However, those same factors mean than commuter rail is less flexible and provides more limited service than other modes of rail transit. Commuter rail
simply cannot go many places where light rail or subways can. Because the equipment nis most efficient when running in multi-car trains and bcause of track
constraints, service tends to be infrequent, and many systems run at rush hour only and only in the primary commute direction. As a result,c ommuter rail
systems tend to carry fewer riders than light rail or heavy rail systems. Los Angeles' METROLink for example, operates 512 miles of commuter rail carrying
38,000 weekday riders. But LA's 56 miles of light rail carry 113,00 weekday riders, and its 17 miles of heavy rail carry
90,000 weekday riders.
A typical commuter rail system includes:
A single downtown terminal, often at the fringe of the downtown area. Generally, this will have light rail, subway, or bus connections which most
riders will use to get to their jobs.
Suburban stations spaced 2-5 miles apart, generally with large parking lots, dropoff lanes, and some bus connections.
3 to 5 car trains (with 150 seats per car) perhaps every 30 minutes during rush hour and every 1 to 3 hours at mid-day.
Commuter rail prospects in Houston
Unlike many cities that have implemented commuter rail, Houston has a very busy freight rail system with few redundant or little-used lines.
The commuter rail possibilityies that have been studied recently include:
US 290 corridor Studied by Harris County 2003-2004; included by METRO in its revised METRO Solutions plan. This is a relatively little-used
line which parallels 290 closely. The line is inside the METRO service area to the outer edge of suburbia. Implementing commuter rail service on this line
would be relatively easy. However, the line ends near the intersection of I-10 and the West Loop. From here, two options exist to get trains to
Downtown: relay tracks in the Eureka Corridor, which has been abandoned for a decade and passes through residential areas in the Heights, or use the
very busy Terminal Subdivision parallel to Washington Avenue. Both options are expensive.
US 90A corridor Studied by HGAC 2003-2004; included by METRO in the METRO Solutions plan. Only the inner portion of the line (to Missouri City)
is included in the METRO service area; the remainder of the line (to Sugarland and Rosenburg) would have the be funded by Fort Bend County or the
local cities. The planned terminus of the line is at the Fannin South light rail station, where passengers could transfer to light rail to the Medical
Center or Downtown (though the latter is probably too long a ride to atract many riders). This line is very busy; an entirely new set of tracks alongside
the existing freight rail tracks may be required. Thus, this would be expensive to implement, but the proposal has considerable political support
in Fort Bend.
SH249 corridor Studied by Harris County 2003-2004. Most of the line
is included in the METRO service area. This is a relatively little used line which parallels 249 closely in the Compaq area, then extends inside
Beltway 8, paralleling 610 north of the Heights to near Downtown.
