NIMBYkiller wrote:Has there been any thought to a commuter line between Houston and Galveston? I could see the following stops at minimum:
Galveston - UT Medical Center
Galveston - Downtown
La Marque
Dickinson
League City
Webster/NASA
Beltway
South Houston
East End
Downtown - University of Houston
Yes, there has been studies looking at long range commuter rail lines in the Houston area, including a line toGalveston.
http://www.gcrd.net/docs/crc_report_rev_09112008.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Chapter 6, the last two pages of the study, lists several findings and recommendations.
The major difficulty, imho, that made both lists was getting commuter passenger trains into Houston’s core, within Loop 610. Texas Central HSR also ran across this same difficulty, which is one of the reasons why it will stop just north of IH-610.
The solution offered is that someone is going to have to buy a brand new rail corridor through the heart of Houston, using the existing freight railroads is not viable.
This is another reason why Metro continues to advocate and build light rail lines within city owned streets.