Intermodality

A hog could travel through Chicago without changing trains, railroad executive R. R. Young complained 50 years ago, but a person couldn’t. The builders of transit were trying to satisfy passengers’ desire to stay in one seat all the way long before that, and they still are. Even when it is done efficiently, a transfer [...]

It’s been 2 months now since METRO unveiled its light rail+BRT+commuter rail “Phase II implementation plan.” Reaction has been mixed, and predictable: neighborhoods that now get busses instead of trains feel cheated; light rail skeptics like the idea of using a less expensive technology; and suburban politicians like commuter rail. Equally predictably, much of the [...]

Imagine if Houston had a rapid transit system that connected the suburbs to downtown with fast, frequent, comfortable, non-stop service.
Actually, we have it. METRO has spent over a billion dollars over 20 years to build a system of HOV lanes and park-and-ride lots that’s unlike any other in the United States. Dedicated ramps and barrier-separated [...]