North/Red Line Extension (METRORail)
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| Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | METRORail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Houston, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
Northline Transit Center Station (north) UH–Downtown (south) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opening | December 21, 2013[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | METRO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 5.3 miles (9 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | overhead cantenary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest elevation | At grade before Hogan St. and at UH-Downtown, and again before Salem and after Bennington;[2] elevated rail between both pairs of landmarks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The North/Red Line Extension[3][4] is a 5.3 mi (9 km) expansion of the existing Red Line route that will be designed, constructed, and operated by METRO in Houston, Texas. The Southeast Line will tie into the North Line, and will serve Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. Originally scheduled to open in 2014,[5] the line opened ahead of schedule on December 21, 2013.
Route
The North Line runs through the heart of the historic North Side, a storied neighborhood rooted in rail that came into being with the expansion, in the 1880s, of the Hardy Rail Line. Starting at the University of Houston – Downtown station, the line runs north on North Main to Boundary Street, crosses east to Fulton Street, and proceeds north on Fulton to the Northline Transit Center and Houston Community College, Northline Mall Center.[6] The length of line south of Hogan Street will be located on an elevated structure. Currently older metro rails from the old Fannin South-UH Downtown line cannot reach the Red Line Extended portion of the line, and will always stop at Burnett.
Construction
Construction began July 2009, and was expected to continue until the line's opening in 2014,[7] though the opening date was later pushed back to 2015.[8] Because of better than expected construction progress, the line opened on December 21, 2013.[1]
On December 8, 2011, the FTA announced the award of a $450 million grant from the New Starts transit program to fund construction of the North line.[8]
Stations
The following is a list of planned stations for this line, listed in order from north to south:[9]
| North/Red Line Extension |
|---|
| Northline Transit Center Station/HCC |
| Melbourne/North Lindale |
| Lindale Park |
| Cavalcade |
| Moody Park |
| Fulton/North Central |
| Quitman/Near Northside |
| Burnett Transit Center/Casa De Amigos |
| UH–Downtown |
Expansion
A possibility for expansion of the line would take the route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Metro says North rail line to open early - Houston Chronicle". chron.com. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ http://www.piersystem.com/posted/1068/Chapter_2_DEIS_North_Corridor_0606.123777.pdf
- ↑ "North Line Landing Page". gometrorail.org. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- ↑ http://www.metrosolutions.org/go/doc/1068/112135/
- ↑ KUHF Houston Public Radio. "Houston Gets Its Next Portion Of Light Rail Funding". Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ Houston Metro Rail. "8 Stations from UH Downtown to Northline Transit Center". Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100909-rail-lines-will-not-meet-oct-2013-deadline
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "$900m awarded to extend Houston’s light rail system". Rail.co. December 8, 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ↑ http://metrosolutions.org/posted/1068/North_w_statn_11x17_072908pdf.219063.pdf Retrieved 16 January 2009
- ↑ "Metro Light Rail (Houston, Sugar Land, Galveston: 2015, university, tax) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum". city-data.com. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
External links
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