houstonsemipro Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 March 27, 2005, 10:12PM BUS STOP Medical Center transit center to get escalators Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Bus riders transferring to trains at the Texas Medical Center Transit Center will no longer have to walk up and down stairs to make the connection. ADVERTISEMENT The Metropolitan Transit Authority Board of Directors approved a contract Thursday with Satterfield & Pontikes Construction to install escalators at the transit center's skybridge, which connects bus loading areas with the rail station in the center of Fannin. Metro had planned to modify the skybridge in future years but said heavy ridership through the medical center justifies moving the escalator installation to this year. The $2.6 million project, 80 percent of which will be reimbursed by the federal government, is scheduled for completion in October. This contract also includes modifying the rail station to accommodate three-car trains. The Main Street line was built to handle only two-car trains because the short block lengths downtown will not accommodate anything longer. Bryan Pennington, Metro's vice president of planning, engineering and construction, said it makes sense to modify the rail platforms now rather than having to do another retrofit should three-car shuttle trains ever be considered. Metro bus passes available through online RideStore No more need to stand in line at the grocery store to buy your Metro bus pass. The transit authority has opened an online RideStore at www.ridemetro.org. Riders may purchase monthly and yearly passes plus Stored Value Cards. Payment is by Visa, MasterCard or Discover, and passes are mailed out within one business day. There is a $1 surcharge to cover shipping costs and processing. Monthly and yearly passes are valid on light rail trains, but customers who only ride the train should not buy them online because they must first be validated on a bus. Metro's new fare-payment system 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 YAY! When I visited the Med Center, it took me a VERY long time to climb those stairs, cross the bridge, and get to the other side. Hopefully, this will help speed things up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Great solution to this issue. Glad to see they are enacting it sooner than later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsets Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 The TMC Transit Center is at Pressler and Fannin. I think it's the only one with escalators - they get you from the bus stops to the walkway to the train platform. No one uses them, we all dodge the cars on Fannin instead, it's faster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 I saw some digging this weekend. Anyone know the scoop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 The escalator going up to the skybridge has been sealed up with drywall. Anyone know why? Is this in anticipation of MD Anderson’s new South of Holcombe campus? I believe the escalators have been out of service for a year. Maybe instead of fixing them, or having the public question, they just sealed them off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 Project Name: Metro TMC TC Escalator Replacement Facility Name: Teas Medical Center Transit Center Location Address: 6910 Fannin Houston, TX 77030 Start Date: 9/16/2024 Completion Date: 2/12/2025 Estimated Cost: $5,200,000 Scope of Work: Replacement of four escalators with the electrical and mechanical escalator rooms at the TMC Transit Center Square Footage: 1,538 ft 2 Design Firm Name: H2B / But isn't MD Anderson taking out the prairie and surface lot on the other side? Maybe they'll just chop it in half in 3 months? / For an image to go with the posting, I remember the mixed-use hotel development that was supposed to go on top of the TMC Transit Center. Bring this back!! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWantTransit555 Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 Mixed used developments on transit stations? Reminds me of the types of developments they do in Hong Kong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 No, we can't do that here because that would never work here. Because... reasons... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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