Intermodality

This is a commuter rail line: San Jose’s Altamont Commuter Express (ACE). It connects nine stations, one of them sort of close to a medium-sized employment center, one with a light rail connection to a suburban employment center, and seven which are basically no more than parking lots. There are six trains a day: three [...]

This Thursday and Friday, Houston Tomorrow is sponsoring a conference on “Megaregions and MetroProsperity.” The America 2050 initiative explains: As metropolitan regions continued to expand throughout the second half of the 20th century their boundaries began to blur, creating a new scale of geography now known as the megaregion. Interlocking economic systems, shared natural resources [...]

In 1985, 7 U.S. cities had commuter rail systems. Today, 14 (including Salt Lake City, above) do. Those new starts differed in significant ways — especially in level of service — from the existing systems. But now we may be seeing a third generation of commuter rail. The good news is that it offers more frequent and more reliable service. The bad news is that it costs more.

In the end, the success of the transit system METRO is building will be based on whether it meets riders’ needs. Connecting different transit lines and modes will make METRO an option for more people’s daily trips. And making those connections simple will not only mean that people are more likely to ride transit; it [...]

The Chronicle reported on Friday that the METRO board hired Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects to design the intermodal transportation center just north of Downtown. The ITC is an important aspect of the revised METRO Solutions plan unveiled in June. This is where the Main Street light rail line, Bus Rapid Transit lines to 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 [...]