Daisy Espinoza / Houston Public Media
Houston’s Red Line light rail system is making fewer stops again after widespread pushback from downtown riders who shared stories of delays over the last month.
In a press release Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) announced it had restored its level of service after previously making changes to traffic signal timing. The public transit agency called the new adjustments “a critical step in understanding and improving traffic flow and transit reliability.”
“These adjustments are part of our broader effort to improve mobility for everyone who share the roads,” METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said. “Our transportation network is designed for multi-modal use, and finding the right balance takes careful testing, coordination, and ongoing adjustment.”
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METRO had instituted changes Sept. 20. Since then, Houston Red Line riders shared anecdotes of their light rail rides deferring to street traffic, where METRO had previously given the light rail priority.
Meredith Johnson, the chief communications officer of METRO, told Houston Public Media the light rail line is expected to make fewer stops after the new changes.
METRO’s board of directors is made up of members appointed by the City of Houston and Harris County. Brock, for example, was appointed by the Houston city government.
“It was a collaboration for sure,” METRO spokesperson Anna Carpenter said, speaking of the decision from METRO and the city government to readjust the Red Line’s service, “because our trains run through the city.”
In its Wednesday press release, METRO said it will continue looking at traffic patterns and performance downtown.
METRO said it’s “performing at a higher level of efficiency, supporting better coordination across all travel modes.”
In September, the Red Line averaged 33,705 riders each weekday, according to Carpenter.
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