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Thanks for the heads up, hummingbird.
1 posted on 01/31/2004 3:50:05 AM PST by Flyer
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To: 1riot1ranger; Action-America; Aggie Mama; Alkhin; Allegra; American72; antivenom; Antoninus II; ...
Some folks, I think playfully, (tried) to touch out to the train

Brilliant design, Metro.

*PING!*

As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.

2 posted on 01/31/2004 3:51:24 AM PST by Flyer (Fear the Train!)
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To: Flyer
People were actually having to wait for the next train," said Steven Hypes, who road light-rail train.

Welcome to Dubya's guest-worker "vision thing" for America.
I say this as an Anglo who on more than a couple occassions has had to wait for
a second bus because the first just blows by me, loaded to the "gunnels" with the
low-cost (probably most undocumented) domestics that keep the homes of the elites
of Los Angeles clean.

The only thing that would make the situation even worse?
If the Democrats "vision thing" for total immigration amnesty became our future,
not Dubya's guest-worker plan.
6 posted on 01/31/2004 4:05:58 AM PST by VOA
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To: Flyer
Over New Years in Melbourne, Australia there was a major flap when train service to the far flung suburbs was discontinued at 1AM. People had been encouraged to attend the midnight fireworks downtown only to find if they lingered to long after ... they were left no way home on public transit. Taxi's were overwhelmed, many people walked miles, with hundreds not getting home to well after dawn.
Officials promise to do better next New Years.
7 posted on 01/31/2004 4:06:35 AM PST by BluH2o
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To: Flyer
For the second night in a row, large crowds at METRORail stations forced officials
to shut down some of the light-rail route and implement their emergency plan.


So, when things get really congested...shut down a part of the transportation system
sold to the taxpayers with the promise of reducing traffic congestion?

I don't know the details of the Houston situation...but this sounds like the usual
situation with some public tranportation boondogles.

I must admit, as much as I hate the liberal environment, at least the
underground subway system in Boston (the "T") seemed to work pretty well...
except for the crowds that actually demonstrate that it works.
8 posted on 01/31/2004 4:09:44 AM PST by VOA
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To: Flyer
At least carnage in the streets was avoided.
Good call by the cops.. "shut it down!" Works for me.

Let's hope to make it permanent, rip it out and sell it.
An amusement park might buy the thing as a thrill ride.


12 posted on 01/31/2004 4:13:42 AM PST by humblegunner ("I'm going off of the rails like a crazy train!" ~Ozzy)
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To: LurkerNoMore!
Some folks, I think playfully, (tried) to touch out to the train.

Jeez - what do you hillbillies do when you see a microwave oven or some other "modern convenience"?

15 posted on 01/31/2004 4:17:15 AM PST by Senator Pardek
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The biggest irony is that the powers-that-be in Houston wanted this toy train to have it ready by the time Houston got the Superbowl in 2004, their big goal for at least 6 years. Here it is, Houston's big week - and the train can't handle the crowds. I moved to California in 1999, but my Houston property taxes still reflect the stupidity of the Houston high muckety-mucks. Every year I pay for a stadium for every sport known to man - and their latest unnecessary project like this train.
34 posted on 01/31/2004 5:32:20 AM PST by Moonmad27
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To: Flyer
I'm not sure whether this calls for clowns, bulls, or more booze.
51 posted on 01/31/2004 11:16:08 AM PST by Old Professer
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To: Flyer
How much did this thing cost the taxpayers again?? sheesh.. and I thought DART was bad.

My philosophy is this: If its a service that people want, let the private sector do it. If the people don't want it, why is the government doing it to begin with?

Privatize everything!!

54 posted on 01/31/2004 6:12:34 PM PST by GeronL (www.ArmorforCongress.com ............... Support a FReeper for Congress)
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To: Flyer
I avoid Blight Rail whenever possible. Call me a control freak but I like to be the one deciding when my carcass decelerates.

I did experience the joys of metro transportation when I visited some cousins in St. Louis. We went to a Cardinals-Cubs game by Metro but we missed the first inning due to the overcrowding. You see, at the next stop were people attending the Rams-Chiefs game.

We finally got up the nerve to just throw our bodies onto the train and I found myself wedged in amongst some cute college-aged girls. It might have been a fun experience had I the room to exhale and if one of the girls wasn't standing on my shoes.

After the game ended, we killed a good hour or so at the ballpark (after the ushers chased us out) before daring to get back on the train for the trip home. Cardinal fans were joyful - they had just beaten the hated Cubs on a walk-off homer. But the Rams fans were particularly disgruntled, watching their team give a lackluster effort against their cross-state rivals.

At least this system was not competing with intersections. We only stopped where we were supposed to stop but one of my cousins missed the exit because he couldn't squeeze out of the train in time so he was forced to get out later and wait for another train going the other direction.

Blight rail: a way to get to know your fellow citizens - whether you'd like to or not.
76 posted on 01/31/2004 11:25:18 PM PST by Tall_Texan (Some day I'll have a rock-hard body - once rigor mortis sets in.)
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To: Flyer; humblegunner
This thread has gone on for more than a day and nobody has provide proper naming of the train?

Still my favorite:
"Slam Bam, thank you Tram"
80 posted on 02/01/2004 9:28:37 AM PST by thackney (Life is Fragile, Handle with Prayer)
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To: Flyer
Q: What's dumber than trying to make light rail work in Houston?

A: Trying to run light rail trains through a 100,000 people partying in downtown Houston.

One of the main reasons give for building Metro-rail was to allow people to be efficiently transported into and out of downtown during big public events. The only problem is that when you run the train through the event, how do you keep the mass of bodies out of the way of the train? Cattle catchers might work, but the public outcry and lawsuits might stack up faster than the Metro-Rail body count. :)
82 posted on 02/01/2004 1:27:31 PM PST by anymouse
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