Will the new CAF cars be able to hook up to the seimens avanto cars. I thought all the lines combined were supposed to be 25-30 miles. Will the platforms be built to accomodate 3 car trains?

It is dispicable for METREAUX, and one might conclude less than transparent, to hide the contract documents until the vote.

METREAUX refused to release the documents prior to the meeting, seeking a TXOAG letter opinion, which they know buys them up to 90 days, knowing they will eventually be ordered to release the contracts as they are public contracts.

I have lodged a complaint with the TX legislative committee advising the Governor on which Stimulus funds to release.

If METREAU plans to scrap the existing 18 tram vehicles after a mere 5 years of service, with each vehicle costing $2.5 million or more, and having an economic life in excess of 30 years, just to have new vehicles with matching colors is an abhorrent waste.

I will file a complaint with our two Senators and my Representative, seeking to have them contact the President's designee assigned to investigate citizens' complaints of the waste of the Stimulus funds.

The Siemens LRVs will not be scrapped. Some trains on the Main St. line will just be run with CAF vehicles. I doubt the two types will be compatible in a single train, though.

3 cars will not fit on a city block, so no, platforms will not be longer. The CAF LRVs are slightly longer than the Siemens vehicles but will still fit 2 on existing platforms. They are also 100% low floor and have 6 doors per side, decreasing loading time.

And Todd, this contract does not include the University line, which accounts for the missing 10 miles.

Who could have foreseen this happening when we most need the work? I wonder how many other cities are wishing they had something like this in the pipeline.

Congratulations, METRO!

These look like the cars Phenix (SP?) AZ bought, correct.  Will these new cars have the "Peter Wang" option:  Bike racks?

Honestly, I think building the Uptown line is kind of silly now since the University line is up in the air. There's nothing to connect it to. It's going to look the Main Street line does now, completely random.

My two cents:

Royko:  GET A LIFE!  Not all things will go your way, UNDERSTAND?!  If you think this is not right for the City of Houston, then that's your problem.  You have NO control on who spends money on what YOU think it should be spent on.  STOP trying to screw people over because all you're doing is trying to attract attention.

Now---if they can only get back to seeing what types of future buses we need.  Hopefully they can not choose the same folks over and over again.

HOORAY for METRO and I hope things go well with these lines.  All the while, I'll have to get used to the new METRORail trains METRO wants.  Not to nitpick here but there needs to be something put on the ends because it looks dull in that picture.

What about bike usage??  These new cars are going to be significantly smaller than the current Siemens vehicles.  Are we still going to be able to board bikes onto the new cars?  Will there be bike racks.  

Where can we find useful info in regards to the new METRORail vehicles METRO wants?

Cedric, the picture of the new type of rail car, is a real picture from the train system in Seville ,Spain. the website I beleive is cafusa.com, if not the search engines should point you in the right direction.

I'm sure all the people to whom Royko routinely complains will take this just as seriously as all his other complaints over the years.  

Whatever!  I'll take Roykeaux's complaints seriously when I'm dead.  If METRO fails to do what they think should happen for this region, then I'll go on the side of Roykeaux.

Anyhoo---Todd,

             I'll probably have to search to see what this new METRORail train looks like.

The CAF trains are not smaller than the Siemens vehicles. They are the same width and slightly longer. Because they are 100% low floor they are probably shorter in height and that gives the illusion of smaller size.

I don't think it's a bad thing to get started on the Uptown line now. This way it will be all set to go when the U line is done so we won't have to wait any longer than that. It could even be useful as a NWTC to Galleria shuttle if it's ready too soon.

I hope y'all get answers about the bike hangers. Having all 2-car trains at rush hour it should relieve the crowding that METRO cites as the reason for the bike ban.

While it would be nice to see Metro announce a $100 million dollar overhaul of bus service I'll take whatever good news I can get.  Congrats.

Mr. CoLLins,

It is clear you do not care that the squandering of  Billions of precious transportation dollars could have been better spent actually improving mobility, nor do you seem to have any concern that future generations are going to have to pay for these boondoggles.

Is there a full-size version of that system map image available anywhere?

Roykeaux,

        It is clear that in quite a while, you FINALLY used your friggin' brain for once.  You *** right I don't care---you have a problem with that?!  All I care about is for the future of mass transit and all you care about is something you can't control and don't have any final say on.

We're WAY behind other citis that have all this bus and rail and what does Houston have?  You do the math.  Compare us to NYC and their transit agency.  Again, do the math.

WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL?!

Mr. CoLLins,

Maybe some Houstonians don't want Houston to be like NEW YORK CITY!

I never heard Dallasites whine that they wanted to be more like New York City, nor did I ever hear that lament from those residing in San Antonio.

Rather, in one TV ad for picante sauce, I believe the old coot asked if anyone had a rope for suggesting replacing the condiment for one produced in NYC.

Having recalled the past attitude of true Texans, one wonders if there are now so many Socialist Yankees fleeing the northeast and settling in Houston's sub-tropical climate.  And, being the loudest voices, they yearn and clamor for the lunacy from back home, such as herding people like "sheeple" onto unsafe, and unreliable urban rail, at-grade.

I shudder to think of trying to review your rail math.

Roykeaux,

   ...You say "some" but how about the rest of us Houstonians?  LEARN HOW TO SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!  If I think this is right for us, then there's nothing you can do about it.  That's my beliefs and there's nothing you can do to stop me from doing just that.  Apparently you think a bunch of buses and just one puny rail line would work.  WRONG!  You wouldn't know how to run a transit agency in a large city if your life depended on it.  You would probably fair better running a transit agency in a small town.

...What does Dallas have to do with Houston?  I don't live there so why should I worry about a city that I don't live in?!  They have their own problems to deal with.  I only care about the City of Houston so get that through your thick skull.

If you can't figure out by now that this is the path we need to go, something is seriously wrong with you---period.

Note to METRO:  Rave on with your plans to make METRO better than what it is now.  We are WAY behind so I strongly advise you to wake up and play catch-up.  Thanks.

Mr. CoLLins,

You seem to ignore the fact that even after METREAUX spent over $3 million of taxpayer funds to "educate" the ignorant, along with $6 million from contractors and speculators who expected to get rich from the tram project, the vote on the METREAUX "Solutions" scheme was extremely close.  Almost half the voters said NO, knowing it would have also ment wasting the money METREAUX had already squandered to that point, including tearing up all the streets so they could extort the voters with the argument that if they voted no, all the money would be wasted!

With METREAUX officials like that, do you really think they care one Iota about abusing the taxpayers or the bus transit dependent riders?

When you do finally realize METREAUX was lying (assuming you retained your cognitive faculties), it will be too late for all of us.

Mr. CoLLins,

I was puzzled for the longest time as what would it take for one to think as you do.

Seemingly, you're happy to be herded like "sheeple" onto the tram, and when I read a story printed in the Boston Globe, I couldn't help but think of you.

TinyURL Link: http://tinyurl.com/8zyb28

(http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/ )

===========

If you get out of the urban area, you might gain a different perspective.

Folks, the best way to deal with Tom "Royko" Bazan is simply to ignore him. Just like the folks of the 18th District overwhelmingly did back in 2004 when he ran against Sheila Jackson-Lee and earned a whopping 6.4% of the vote.

I think the CAF LRVs look great.

KookHater,

There were a whole lot of straight-ticket Democrat voters, they were voting more against Bush than for Queen Sheila.

KookHater,

         I'll try to ignore this Tom "Roykeaux" Bazan character but it won't be easy doing so.  He can say what he wants but I'll die before I let this chump get through to me to get on his side of any issues against mass transit.  Let him talk but hopefully this ignoring him gag will get around so people like me will want to be on here talking about how to make METRO better than it is now.  That'll be tough as he does have followers here and there.  Thank God I'm not one of them.

One thing that I want to throw out there for Roykeaux=>You say "ignorant" in one your Martian statements above but it takes one to know one, right?  I say---YES!

Hopefully METRO will keep raving on with whatever plans they have for the future of mass transit in this region.  Whether or not it'll work and make people happy---I don't care.  All I want to say is just don't stop what you're doing METRO until the job is done---whether it be for rail, bus, or both.

Craig, Christof has compiled the info from METRO and put together a map here:

http://www.ctchouston.org/intermodality/

There is also a blog entry with more about the CAF vehicles.

Mr. CoLLins,

Your comments expose the problem.  METREAUX seems to have designes on becoming a Regional "Monster" bureaucracy where the Urban Rail Robber Barons can be unleashed to destroy true mobility with wasteful rail.

Oh, yes...for the children.

>>>Whether or not it'll work and make people happy---I don't care.  All I want to say is just don't stop what you're doing METRO until the job is done---whether it be for rail, bus, or both.<<<

And this is why you get your exclusives, Cedric, you don't care.  Frank Wilson and cronies count on people like you not to care so they can continue to waste money, run Metro into the ground and command massive pay packages from the rubber stamp board of directors for doing so.

If you really cared as much about transit as you put on, you'd take Metro to task for its limited and inadequate bus service ...for its useless and wasteful technology, the continued mistreatment of frontline workers, putting unbuilt rail lines in front of current bous routes, and a litany of other offenses that make Metro the laughing stock of the transit industry.  This is the 4th largest city in the nation but has the transit competence of Mayberry.

Oh, and Cedric, three NeoPods are still in service out of Fallbrook, one being 3740 which my source just sent me a picture of.  I'm guessing the route is the 102 as I doubt they'd be on P&R routes given their "advanced" age.  I'll try to find where these buses are running and pass it on to you.  They probably have until the end of the month as more Hybrid MCIs are coming in, though I'm hearing they are suffering a few teething issues which require constant attention.

Mary, I can understand why you edited one of my posts, but "Procurement Disaster" and "Pimp my Resume" shouldn't draw your ire.  Mr. Wilson makes $340,000 per year and drives a taxpayer funded car, I think he can handle a nickname.  DeLibero isn't with the agency anymore and she did "pimp her resume," hence why she was suspended for a week during a route slashing reign.

DeLibero, why is she even being discussed anymore..Oh yeah..

Reminds me of a joke from years ago: How cold is it in Shirleys office?

Two degrees less...

Sorry I just remembered that

wi11ie

1.  "Your comments expose the problem.  METREAUX seems to have designes on becoming a Regional "Monster" bureaucracy where the Urban Rail Robber Barons can be unleashed to destroy true mobility with wasteful rail."

(yawns)  If rail was wasteful, then why---OH WHY---is all these TAs wanting to include rail as an option for people to ride on from point A to point B?

2.  "And this is why you get your exclusives, Cedric, you don't care.  Frank Wilson and cronies count on people like you not to care so they can continue to waste money, run Metro into the ground and command massive pay packages from the rubber stamp board of directors for doing so.

If you really cared as much about transit as you put on, you'd take Metro to task for its limited and inadequate bus service ...for its useless and wasteful technology, the continued mistreatment of frontline workers, putting unbuilt rail lines in front of current bous routes, and a litany of other offenses that make Metro the laughing stock of the transit industry.  This is the 4th largest city in the nation but has the transit competence of Mayberry."

(YAWNS!)  Irrelevant!

OK---well---since nobody even remotely cares about what supporters of METRO thinks, I'll just leave it at that.  MOVING ON!

Actually---Mary---people like me are interested in METRO and putting my input in on how to make METRO better than it is now but it's too DANG difficult to show complete passion and full interest in mass transit because some people have lots of problems with METRO and would rather take it out on people who support large TAs such as METRO.

If anybody thinks I---Cedric Collins---should go against METRO in any way, good luck on that because I would rather die than to switch sides.  Also, if one thinks that what we have now in regards to buses and METRORail is a total waste of time and recommend that I stop riding until things are done YOUR way, then why the heck am I still riding the buses and METRORail for?

I still say to METRO---AGAIN=>"All I want to say is just don't stop what you're doing METRO until the job is done---whether it be for rail, bus, or both."

To add to that, don't let anybody get in your way---well---except for the city and maybe the feds.

METRO (and any other large TA for that matter) are not 100% perfect.  ALL transit agencies will have flaws that'll get people talking about it for perhaps weeks on end.

Mr. CoLLins,

When you state your unwavering allegiance to METREAUX, in a Bureaucracy vs. the Citizens struggle to maintain the principal that voters created the transit agency to serve the transit dependent and not to evolve into "Developers" merely enriching the plutocracy, I am reminded of how effectively the relentless propaganda has influenced the population.

Royko,

     Do you even know what the **** I'm talking about?!  I don't think so.  You must be on some true Christian-like crusade to try to brainwash me with all your might about what went wrong, what YOU think should happen, etc. but as most people here should know by now, IT ISN'T GONNA WORK!  SPEAK ENGLISH, MAN!

Nobody's perfect, Royko---how about that?!  I'm not perfect; you're not perfect (that's a given); METRO's not perfect; not one TA in this country is perfect.