Light Rail Houston: AL Green Supporting – Culberson Not Supporting

Austin, Texas (12-01-2009 - Pakistan Chronicle Report): Congressman Al Green (D-TX-09) has expressed his support for the Federal Transit Administration’s decision to approve a project that aims to expand Houston’s Light Rail System to different areas of the city. Specifically, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved the University Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, which was presented by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), into the preliminary engineering phase of FTA’s New Starts program.

“This is a good project because it is beneficial for Houston in general, but it is also particularly advantageous for the residents of the west and southwest sections of the city because it will allow them to commute to their job centers in the Greenway Plaza area, the Galleria, the Medical Center and downtown,” said Congressman Green.

In the mean time, Houston Area Congressman John Culberson (R-TX-7) has his opposition to federal funding for the light-rail University Line. He filed a formal objection with the Federal Transit Authority last week ahead of a deadline for members of Congress to file any concerns. His objection is that METRO cannot afford this project. If his objection had not come, FTA would have given Metro the nod without further discussion to begin preliminary engineering work on the line.

Part of the 10-mile route lies within Culberson’s congressional district. FTA spokesman Paul Griffo said the agency retains the final say. ‘It is not a process that requires explicit congressional approval or disapproval,’ Griffo said. ‘The FTA will keep Mr. Culberson’s concerns in mind, as we do the concerns of all elected officials, as projects advance through our evaluation process.”

The new line, which is expected to open for revenue service in June 2014, would cover 11.3 miles and include 19 stations, with parking facilities at three of them. It would operate at six minute headways during peak and off peak periods by the forecast year (2030).

“It is important for Houston to keep developing a modern system of public transportation because that will reduce pollution and will also show that our city is going in a positive direction that confirms it is one of America’s leading metropolitan areas. This new line that METRO is projecting has that objective and that is why I support this endeavor,” added Congressman Green.