Tag Archives: streetcars

On streetcars and BRT

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite considers some alternatives to light rail. Two new light rail lines set to start service early next year will drastically expand Houston’s rail network, but our city will remain dreadfully underserved by the system. Many neighborhoods seeing a greater … Continue reading →

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Why not a university?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an interesting suggestion for that 136 acre tract of land east of downtown. This parcel of land could be the last opportunity for Houston to add a major college campus to the city.  We should consider something … Continue reading →

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A streetcar for the East End?

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. As the once solidly industrial East End transforms with a 4-month-old soccer stadium, a light rail line under construction and the imminent sale of a 136-acre plot that could signal coming lofts and boutiques, boosters are studying … Continue reading →

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What would you do with 136 acres near downtown?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Something urban, mixed-use, and transit-oriented, one hopes. A rare opportunity lies in 136 acres just east of downtown Houston. The Buffalo Bayou-front parcel, a longtime industrial and office complex, went on the market earlier this summer – a move bayou … Continue reading →

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Meet the new rail debate, same as the old rail debate

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like I’ve heard all this before. Opponents of the planned downtown streetcar system said Tuesday that county officials broke a promise with voters when they agreed to use advanced transportation district funds to help fund the project. The … Continue reading →

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San Antonio moves forward with streetcar plan

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio City Council has voted to approve funding for a five-year transit expansion plan that includes a streetcar line. The vote all but guarantees construction of the city’s first urban rail project since San Antonio ended its electric streetcar … Continue reading →

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San Antonio approves long term transit plan

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The board of VIA Metropolitan Transit, the transit agency for San Antonio, has unanimously approved a long term roadmap that will bring rail construction to the city. San Antonio is the largest city in the U.S. with a bus-only transit … Continue reading →

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San Antonio rail progress

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see them continue to move forward. VIA Metropolitan Transit has hired a program manager to oversee its high-capacity transit initiative, a move that board and staff members say will help usher in the agency’s plans for an … Continue reading →

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New development planned for West Gray

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Prime Property: West Gray may soon get a lot busier. Developers are proposing multi-story apartment complexes on two sites just a short distance apart along the largely retail roadway, which runs from River Oaks to downtown. Both developers are … Continue reading →

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We’ll take it if you don’t want it

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dallas would like the FTA to know that they will gladly take any federal streetcar funds that Fort Worth doesn’t want. That’s the message the Regional Transportation Council, with the support of Dallas leaders, is sending to the Federal Transit … Continue reading →

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San Antonio streetcar study

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Worth may have punted on streetcars, but San Antonio is still moving ahead. It’s not a green light, but it is a boost nonetheless for VIA Metropolitan Transit’s plans to build two streetcar lines downtown. The transit agency recently … Continue reading →

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NPR on LRT

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story on NPR about the expansion of light rail around the country. Pretty much everywhere you look in large urban areas, there’s light rail, construction of light rail, or plans for light rail. Couple of points from the story … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth quits its pursuit of streetcars

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m surprised by this. The city’s discussion and study of the viability of a modern streetcar system for the central city is over for now. The City Council voted 5-3 [last] Tuesday to pull the plug on a feasibility study … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth gets streetcar funds

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them, though they’re not quite ready to jump on it yet. A downtown streetcar loop could be in Fort Worth’s near future, but the City Council has some serious issues to consider first. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced … Continue reading →

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BRT for San Antonio?

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, San Antonio is seeking federal funds to build a streetcar line emanating from downtown. That’s not their only big transit plan in the works. As the On the Move blog reports, VIA has proposed changing one of … Continue reading →

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Streetcars on Washington Avenue?

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some big things may be coming to Washington Avenue. Super Neighborhood 22 — a council of civic clubs in the Washington Ave. corridor — will hold a meeting May 24 to discuss its proposed master plan for transportation in the … Continue reading →

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VIA thinks bigger on streetcars

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They may be scaling back in Dallas, but San Antonio’s transit agency will apply for more federal funds to build a more extensive streetcar network. VIA Metropolitan Transit’s board of trustees voted Tuesday to spike a federal grant application for … Continue reading →

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More on streetcars in Fort Worth

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The TCU Daily Skiff writes about Fort Worth’s plans for streetcars. The city of Fort Worth plans to move forward with bringing in a nationally recognized consultant to finalize aspects of a modern streetcar system that would consist of an … Continue reading →

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San Antonio to seek federal funds for streetcar system

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward for San Antonio’s quest to lose its title as the most populous city in America without rail transit. VIA Metropolitan Transit’s trustees on Tuesday approved the routes for a streetcar system and directed agency staff to seek … Continue reading →

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Streetcar-mania

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Streetcars may be coming to a street near you in many cities. What links Boise, Cincinnati and Charlotte — and Salt Lake City, Dallas, Atlanta and Kansas City, where streetcar tracks abandoned in 1953 still poke through the city’s weathered … Continue reading →

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San Antonio moves forward on streetcars

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, the city of San Antonio announced it would form a citizens advisory committee to help guide the creation of a starter streetcar system. It has now done so. The commission’s prime task will be to advise VIA’s board … Continue reading →

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Streetcars in San Antonio

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is looking to Portland for inspiration as it contemplates a streetcar system. In the 1990s, driven by a plan to infuse the inner city with new residents, transit advocates drew up plans to link several districts by streetcar … Continue reading →

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Will the Alabama Bookstop be spared the wrecking ball?

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A commenter at Swamplot, who claims to have inside information, has the following to say about the River Oaks Shopping Center and the Alabama Bookstop. 1. Barnes and Noble owns Bookstop. They are closing it to move to the new … Continue reading →

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Streetcars and buses

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little discussion starter for all you transit geeks: Infrastructurist’s list of 36 reasons why streetcars are better than buses. I’d boil a lot of it down to a smaller list: The ride is generally more pleasant, as it … Continue reading →

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More transportation conversation

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some good comments and followup to my earlier post about traffic in the inner core. I want to address Cory’s questions regarding BRT. The short answer is that I have no particular objection to BRT – it’s a perfectly fine … Continue reading →

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More on streetcars and sidewalks

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Andrew Burleson had a couple of good posts last week that followed up on Christof’s streetcar suggestions and my post about a KIrby light rail line. Here they are: West Gray Streetcar, in which he takes Christof’s concept for a … Continue reading →

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