METRO's Board of Directors took two significant actions yesterday to carry the Houston area one big step closer to a light rail network.

The first action was a vote that calls for light rail technology on four lines previously slated for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).  BRT is a less expensive technology that was pursued as an interim option to qualify the transit corridors for federal funding.

The change to light rail on the North, Southeast, East End and Uptown lines came about after the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) modified its rules for estimating ridership, a critical element of funding eligibility.   Specifically, the FTA now evaluates projected ridership on a corridor as part of a larger system, whereas before ridership was calculated as if the line were isolated and unconnected to other lines.  The FTA also now accounts for a phenomenon known as "rail bias", which means that people tend to use light rail more than bus service in the same corridor.     

METRO's Board also ended a nearly two-year process of public input and review by selecting an alignment for the University Corridor that serves the most people at the least cost.  From Main Street, the line will travel west on Richmond to Cummins, south on Cummins to the Westpark right-of-way and west to the Hillcroft Transit Center.  On the other side of Main Street, the line will travel east on Wheeler Street, then to Ennis and Alabama to the University of Houston, and further extended, if possible and financially feasible, north on Scott Street and east on Elgin St. to the Eastwood Transit Center (see map).

At a press conference immediately after the votes, Houston Mayor Bill White congratulated METRO Chairman David Wolff and the Board for their hard work to improve mobility in Houston.  Commenting on the fact that now all five transit corridors have approved alignments and light rail technology, METRO President and CEO Frank Wilson said:  "The map to better mobility is now complete. The time to build our future is now."

Construction on four of the light rail lines is scheduled to begin next spring (2008), while construction for the University Line is scheduled to begin in 2009.  All five light rail expansion lines are scheduled to be providing service by the end of 2012. 

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