(Very) light rail hits Hermann Park

In a move Houstonist is sure will delight MetroRail's detractors, improvements to the Hermann Park train will make it a sort of intrapark commuter system giving access to various parts of the park — and, yes, a connection to the light rail line. The route change, part of a park renovation plan approved by City Council, will add two stops to the Hermann Park train and give it a little more to do than travel in circles. OK, yeah, it'll still travel in circles, but it'll stop more.

“The plan will be that a new ADA compliant train will be in place a year from September with connections to the two light rail stops, the Houston Zoo-Memorial Hermann stop, the Sunset rail stop as well as a third stop by the Museum of Natural Science,” said Doreen Stoller, Hermann Park Conservancy.

So essentially, we assume you'll be able to get on the park train at the zoo entrance, like you do now, as well as at the science museum, the west side of the park near Fannin and Sunset, and in the southwest corner of the park near Fannin and MacGregor. Which really is a good idea — Houstonist has always enjoyed taking a joyride on the train, but we never saw the point in it, since we would end up in the same place we started. (Yeah, we know, our frosty heart has lost all the joy of childhood. Whatever.) But we'll definitely plan to use the MetroRail-park connector: It'll be perfect for those balmy spring days when we want to go roll around in the grass at the park, but we don't want to have to walk to get there.

(Props to Intermodality, which suggested a MetroRail-Hermann link for April Fools' Day. Apparently, life really does imitate art.)