The state of Metro: nothing new

Metro President and CEO Frank Wilson delivered his state of Metro address at the Hilton Americas yesterday afternoon. Wilson touched on several projects that loom in Metro's future, including the controversial $1 billion+ light rail expansion. It looks like Mr. Wilson isn't tipping his pitches concerning the University line debate (which is all we were really listening for anyways). In fact, eager rail enthusiasts and detractors received no new information. All Wilson had to say was this:

We've not adopted for ourselves an artificial timeline we don't have to meet any federal submissions or federal requirements until late next summer. We have time to do it right, we are bound to do it right which means we are going to get the community to give us as much input. We owe the community back now as an assessment of all the options they have asked us to look at which turned out to be 48.

Which means: don't hold your breath. But we really do appreciate Metro's careful consideration, even if we're anxious to hear where the line is going to run. The University line, which will connect the University of Houston, the University of St. Thomas, Texas Southern University to Greenway Plaza, the Galleria, and everything in between, was originally intended to run down Richmond, but many business owners and residents oppose this idea. Because of this, Metro went back to the drawing board looking for alternative but equally amenable routes.

In his speech, Wilson also discussed new fares which will come into effect in December and the construction of an intermodal transit facility in the Hardy Yards, north of downtown. The facility would bring different means of transit together with the proposed commuter lines that Houston voted for as part of Metro Solutions in 2003. Metro intends to create 60,000 jobs over the next six years as part of this plan.