Death Train 2000 Revisited

Regarding "It's time to revisit plans for light rail in Houston" (Thursday Outlook), Bill King does a major service with his recap of the many deficiencies of Houston's glorified trolley, otherwise known as Metro's light rail system, but perhaps because of space constraints, he failed to mention three others:

 

First is its terrible public safety record.  A few weeks ago a cyclist was run over and killed by a train, and in its short history, there has been hundreds of injuries involving pedestrians and other vehicles.  Fatalities have included not just citizens but Metro employees as well, and arguably, very few of these accidents would have occurred had Metro never been built.  

 

Second, Metro Rail is an urban environmental disaster.  A short walk or bike ride along Main Street is nothing less than shattering to the nerves, as the rushing trains clatter down the tracks, the operators repeatedly blasting their horns to warn of their approach.  The whole of the system, including trains, stations, traffic lights, barricades, overhead wiring - even the fountains - is an assault on the senses, obstructing and interfering with the businesses, restaurants and other amenities along its route, as well as the pedestrian who desires nothing more than to sit on a bench and perhaps read a book in peace for a few minutes.

 

Finally, while King did an admirable job recounting the construction costs to expand Metro Rail, he failed to mention the monstrous operating deficits that will plague taxpayers for as long as the trains run.  An April 15 Chronicle article revealed that Metro fares recover only 32% of the cost of running them, creating a deficit of over $115 million since 2004 for the 7.5 miles of the Main Street line.  Clearly, if you expand the rail system, you will expand the operating deficits as well.

 

It is well past time to reconsider any further expansion of "at grade" rail.  It is a failure by any and every sensible measure, and when Houston's leaders sacrifice public safety in order to line their own pockets, they deserve nothing less than to be tarred, feathered, and run out on a rail.  Pun intended.

 

Pete Smith, Cypress