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Hermann Park/Rice U is a light rail station in south-central Houston, Texas, United States. The station serves the Red Line of the METRORail system. It is located on the western side of Hermann Park at the intersection of Fannin Street and Sunset Boulevard.
Hermann Park/Rice U | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 6098 Fannin Street Houston, Texas | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°43′12.06″N 95°23′36.81″W / 29.7200167°N 95.3935583°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County | ||||||||||
| Line(s) |  Red Line | ||||||||||
| Platforms | Island platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | Two | ||||||||||
| Connections |  METRO: 56, 291, 292, 298 Hermann Park Railroad | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | January 1, 2004[1] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The station serves Hermann Park and the main entrance of Rice University. The station is adjacent to a stop on the Hermann Park Railroad, a narrow-gauge tourist train, as well as a BCycle bike-share kiosk.[2]
History
editHermann Park was first proposed as a rail destination in 1990 plans for Houston's rail network.[3] When a rail line along Main Street was approved in 2000, Hermann Park was one of the destinations the route intended to serve.[4]
To fit with the greenspace aesthetic of Hermann Park, the station was decorated with a garden-themed floor mosaic.[5] On November 1, 2003, METRO used the station as the location of a preliminary train tour.[6]
The station opened on January 1, 2004 as one of sixteen inaugural METRORail stations. An opening ceremony was held at the station, which featured live Zydeco music, a petting zoo, and horse carriage rides.[1]
In February 2017, a Rice University professor on a bicycle was struck and killed by an oncoming train at the station.[7] This, as well as another fatal incident at the adjacent intersection of Main Street and Sunset Boulevard the following year, prompted a redesign of the pedestrian and bicyclist crossings leading up to the station.[8] The incident also led to METRO redesigning its train livery to include bright reflective striping for better visibility.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Wall, Lucas (January 1, 2004). "New ride for the new year: Festivals mark inaugural day for Metro train". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. p. A1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Begley, Dug (April 4, 2013). "Commuting options on the rise in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation – via NewsBank.
- ^ Roth, Bennett; Pope, Tara Parker (November 4, 1990). "Seeking the Inside Track: 5 rail plans have marked differences". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. pp. 1C – via NewsBank.
- ^ Connelly, Richard (February 3, 2000). "Train In Vain? - Main street's light rail is on it's way, and boosters hope to see passengers lining up for a ride". Houston Press. New Times Media – via NewsBank.
- ^ Clifford, Pugh (June 20, 2002). "Corridor of Culture Light rail opens up possibilities for a pathway to city's museums". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Wall, Lucas (November 1, 2003). "Rail vote Nov. 4: Voters already won or lost". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. pp. 29A – via NewsBank.
- ^ Glenn, Mike (February 4, 2017). "Beloved Rice scientist dies in bicycle-light rail accident". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Ramapriyan, Rishab. "Rice attempts to improve biker safety in wake of deadly accidents". The Rice Thresher. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Begley, Dug (March 13, 2017). "Metro pledges action after collision record draws concerns". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications.
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