Heavy rail passenger line proposed for 290 corridor

A train station in the Northwest Mall area is part of a heavy rail passenger line proposal for the Hempstead/290 corridor. Passenger rail service along existing railroad tracks is advocated by a group of government and business representatives called the Highway 290 Passenger Rail Coalition. Their ultimate goal is to establish commuter rail service from Bryan/College Station to downtown Houston. The train stations located at intervals along the route are projected to promote housing and business activity, especially along areas where there is ample land near the rail. The Northwest Mall station will be the last station before downtown, with proposed bus rapid transit and a possible future Tomball commuter rail connection. The route from the station to downtown will follow existing Union Pacific tracks east of I-610 and along Washington.

The Passenger Rail Coalition envisions a multimodal concept for the Hempstead/290 corridor. The Hempstead Rd. portion would consist of a tollway along with the shared freight and commuter rail tracks, arterial streets and pedestrian facilities. Metro also has plans for the corridor which include commuter rail and suburban bus rapid transit. It proposes to have bus and light rail service from the Northwest Transit Center to the Galleria area, and to have the commuter rail connect to the downtown Intermodal Terminal.

Metro's proposed Intermodal Terminal will be located on 8-10 acres of the near Northside at the junction of the Union Pacific Railroad and Main Street north of I-10. This facility will have both train and bus terminals, light rail platforms and bicycle storage areas along with parking, retail markets and concessions. The North Corridor light rail will connect to the terminal and possibly future East End and Southeast Guided Rapid Transit.

Part of the Highway 290 Passenger Rail Coalition's mission is to identify funding sources for the commuter rail and to lobby other entities and groups to provide resources for the project. This involves coordination with federal, city, and county governments, Metro, TxDOT, and private railroads to design and plan the rail project. A regional entity is needed, they say, to combine the efforts of all these groups. They are urging the creation of the Gulf Coast Freight and Commuter Rail District. Such a district would have intermunicipal powers of contracting, eminent domain, and revenue collection.

It is not certain when the district would be formed and exactly how long before the rail project would be started. The PRC has mapped commuter rail improvements in four phases over a period of 30 years. The urgent need for relieving congestion in the Hempstead/ 290 corridor may see the first phase begin in the near future.

(Near Northwest Banner, October 1, 2006)