Article originally appeared on HoustonPublicMedia.org, by Gail Delaughter
After months of construction, riders can now take the train to a popular transit center on Harrisburg.
Dignitaries gathered at Metro’s East End operations center to take the first train ride across the Hughes Street overpass.
The overpass carries the light rail train over a busy freight rail track. Before it was built, the train stopped short of the Magnolia Transit Center, about ten blocks down Harrisburg.
The East End train has had the lowest ridership of Metro’s three light rail lines, but CEO Tom Lambert hopes things will pick up now that riders can make easier connections.
“What it does is it actually connects to the Magnolia Transit Center, so you have multiple bus routes that also feed the Magnolia Transit Center. It connects the total network of a high-frequency bus network to an expanded rail network.”
And Lambert says the overpass is also doing away with long waits for drivers at the freight rail crossing.
“It actually gives more mobility choices with traffic lanes going over the bridge as well as traffic lanes at grade level.”
The new segment opens to the public on Wednesday. Riders will be able to try out the Green Line for free through January 22.
