METRO SOUTHEAST LIGHT RAIL UPDATE


Construction is taking shape and progressing for the new METRORail Southeast line running adjacent to the university. The Southeast line along Wheeler and Scott Streets will be complete in mid-2014 and will offer an additional convenient commuting option for UH.

As we wrap up one academic year and prepare for a new one, two sides of the campus are already seeing visible signs of the changes to come. The Southeast line, also known as the Purple Route, is a 6.6 mile long route from Smith Street Station, running alongside the university, and ending at the Palm Center on Griggs Road. The last portion of the track will be shared by the East End Line allowing riders to transfer at the Bastrop Station to travel to the Magnolia Transit Center. Also, riders of the Southeast Line will be able to transfer to the existing Red Line on Main Street.

Houston Rapid Transit (HRT), the contractor for the rail construction, began the project in the summer of 2011. Since then, they have completed utility work, established a division of Wheeler Street, and most recently, have been laying tracks along Wheeler. Construction is currently in the preliminary stages of Phase 3 with guideway already placed along some stretches of the line. Work has also begun along Scott Street, traveling past Robertson Stadium, with the placement of stakes to mark where the rail will go.

See map below to view the Southeast Line route. For more information on the METRORail, visit www.gometrorail.org and click on the Southeast logo for the latest construction updates.