Well yes there is.
When the Blizzard of 1888 paralyzed all surface traffic throughout NYC,
it dramaticly emphasized the advantages of building their light-rail system underground.
Houston is much less at risk of snowstorms and blizzards,
But if they want to put in a subway instead of surface-street light-rail, that's OK with me too.
New York City, or rather Manhattan, is ideally suited for subways -- and skyscrapers -- due to its geological features, namely, gneiss and schist that is covered by only thin topsoil. It's harder to dig through but tunnels are unlikely to collapse.
Houston, by contrast, is on sand and clay. Sediment, not rock. You don't find many houses with basements. A high water table makes them impractical.
But don't give up, Willie. I'm sure the folks over at Metro would be willing to entertain your idea for a subway, just as long as the rest of the country is asked to pay for it.
And think of all the jobs it would create for out-of-work oilmen.
No Turning Back: Flood won't alter Metrorail or Southwest Freeway projects in progress
Can't do it because Houston is prone to (a) tropical storms and (b) rapid flooding. Basements don't work in Houston because of this and whenever a big storm hits all the below-ground car garages, tunnels, and roadways flood. I've got photographs I took from a bridge over US 59 near downtown after a storm a few years ago. There's normally an 8 lane highway below that bridge. When I took the photograph there was a guy zooming back and forth on a jet ski. It is also pertinent to note that on the night before (when all the rain was coming down that filled up the freeway basin) I was driving in an SUV down Fannin where the light rail line goes now. There average spot on that roadway had 6 inches of water (which I carefully managed) and some spots exceeded a foot (which I had to maneuver around by going up the curve and cutting through a gas station parking lot). Note for the uninformed: when water levels exceed 3 inches on Fannin Metrorail's specs say it shuts down.
The point, Willie, is that you do not know Houston, you do not know its traffic patterns, you do not know its government system, you do not know its geography, you do not know its people, and you do not know what those people want or need for their transportation. You do not have any substantial experience understanding or witnessing Houston's infrastructure in action and you do not live in Houston. Yet for some inexplicable reason you persist in demanding that we spend our money to build a rail-based transit system that meets your specifications on the off chance that you might visit for a day or two as some undetermined point in the future. My question: what gives you the right?