Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 07-31-2014, 05:50 PM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,452,922 times
Reputation: 2740

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by majicdonjuan View Post
And it will be slow and expensive and connect an airport that only international flyers and us outside-the-Beltway Nova folks really actually use. Even now (a week after the opening of the Silver Line) people are already complaining that it takes even longer to get to Dulles than before because the bus covered the same ground that the Silver Line does in less time due to the fact it does not stop and has dedicated lanes. From Downtown DC I'm estimating 60-70 minutes and $10 each way once the line is complete in 2018ish. Not overly competitive with DCA and about the same as to get to BWI (which is already a busier airport, and already has express commuter rail service via the Amtrak or the MARC).

Both Houston and DC need an express train between downtown and IAH/IAD that only stops a couple of times and can get you there in 30 minutes or so. I haven't tried the orange line to DFW yet, but it sounds like the travel time is also an issue there.


Nobody said the train was supposed to zoom you to the airport in 2 minutes... Its all about the convenience of not having to drive and deal with traffic parking and leaving your car at the airport for 4 or 5 days while on a trip. The convenience of relaxing and focusing on the trip while riding to the airport and not missing the plane because it was a wreck on any given highway(or construction)...delaying everything and getting you pissed off before you even go on vacation...And....saving $50 or more dollars to pay to park.....That's what people are looking forward to.

 
Old 07-31-2014, 06:02 PM
 
Location: The Mid-Cities
1,085 posts, read 1,790,281 times
Reputation: 698
Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasboi View Post
[/b]
Nobody said the train was supposed to zoom you to the airport in 2 minutes... Its all about the convenience of not having to drive and deal with traffic parking and leaving your car at the airport for 4 or 5 days while on a trip. The convenience of relaxing and focusing on the trip while riding to the airport and not missing the plane because it was a wreck on any given highway(or construction)...delaying everything and getting you pissed off before you even go on vacation...And....saving $50 or more dollars to pay to park.....That's what people are looking forward to.
You forgot having to beg or bother a relative or friend to take you through all that mess. And then having to do they same when you return.
 
Old 07-31-2014, 06:38 PM
 
Location: ITL (Houston)
9,221 posts, read 15,955,543 times
Reputation: 3545
Quote:
Originally Posted by dollaztx View Post
You forgot having to beg or bother a relative or friend to take you through all that mess. And then having to do they same when you return.
And many transit agencies don't allow overnight parking at many lots. Hopefully you can walk to the station.
 
Old 07-31-2014, 09:38 PM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,452,922 times
Reputation: 2740
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trae713 View Post
And many transit agencies don't allow overnight parking at many lots. Hopefully you can walk to the station.
RIGHT.!!....And...The DFW station is located right in front of check in. And if you cant walk to the station it would be a lot easier to ask a family member or friend to drop you off at the train station instead of the airport...
 
Old 07-31-2014, 10:15 PM
 
Location: Upper East Side of Texas
12,498 posts, read 26,994,162 times
Reputation: 4890
Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasboi View Post
Best large cities for economic performance? Dallas?

Houston's GDP is a lot higher.

Best US cities for parks? Dallas?

Again, way off. Dallas has no state parks, forests, or wildlife refugees anywhere near it. Houston has a lot. Houston also has Dallas beat on urban parks & green space.

Did some elementary school kid do that comparison of something?

Last edited by Metro Matt; 07-31-2014 at 10:24 PM..
 
Old 07-31-2014, 11:43 PM
 
Location: Washington D.C. By way of Texas
20,516 posts, read 33,544,005 times
Reputation: 12157
Quote:
Originally Posted by majicdonjuan View Post
And it will be slow and expensive and connect an airport that only international flyers and us outside-the-Beltway Nova folks really actually use. Even now (a week after the opening of the Silver Line) people are already complaining that it takes even longer to get to Dulles than before because the bus covered the same ground that the Silver Line does in less time due to the fact it does not stop and has dedicated lanes. From Downtown DC I'm estimating 60-70 minutes and $10 each way once the line is complete in 2018ish. Not overly competitive with DCA and about the same as to get to BWI (which is already a busier airport, and already has express commuter rail service via the Amtrak or the MARC).

Both Houston and DC need an express train between downtown and IAH/IAD that only stops a couple of times and can get you there in 30 minutes or so. I haven't tried the orange line to DFW yet, but it sounds like the travel time is also an issue there.
I agree that DC does need an express train. But DC isn't any different than Chicago here. It's a 45 minute ride from O'Hare to the loop in Chicago. 30 minutes from Midway to The loop. It will be over an hour to get from DFW to Downtown Dallas once that opens. I rode the line to Tyson's Corner last weekend and while it was smooth, it was long between East falls Church and McLean. But Dulles is way out there in damn near West Virginia. Similar to Houston with IAH. A DC style train in Houston would be around the same time IMO. A Houston streetcar style would about 2 hours. The thing with Dulles is that you have a united hub and many customers that fly out if the country will use that airport. But people in DC and PG will still use BWI more. However I think the Dulles line is more reliable then using the B30 like to BWI.
 
Old 08-01-2014, 06:46 AM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,452,922 times
Reputation: 2740
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro Matt View Post
Best large cities for economic performance? Dallas?

Houston's GDP is a lot higher.

Best US cities for parks? Dallas?

Again, way off. Dallas has no state parks, forests, or wildlife refugees anywhere near it. Houston has a lot. Houston also has Dallas beat on urban parks & green space.

Did some elementary school kid do that comparison of something?
You always go to far......
Cedar Hill State Park | Cedar Hill, TX - Official Website
TPWD: State Parks within 100 miles of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
 
Old 08-01-2014, 08:10 AM
 
Location: Tysons Corner, VA by way of TEXAS
725 posts, read 1,240,852 times
Reputation: 875
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spade View Post
I agree that DC does need an express train. But DC isn't any different than Chicago here. It's a 45 minute ride from O'Hare to the loop in Chicago. 30 minutes from Midway to The loop. It will be over an hour to get from DFW to Downtown Dallas once that opens. I rode the line to Tyson's Corner last weekend and while it was smooth, it was long between East falls Church and McLean. But Dulles is way out there in damn near West Virginia. Similar to Houston with IAH. A DC style train in Houston would be around the same time IMO. A Houston streetcar style would about 2 hours. The thing with Dulles is that you have a united hub and many customers that fly out if the country will use that airport. But people in DC and PG will still use BWI more. However I think the Dulles line is more reliable then using the B30 like to BWI.
All fair points. However, the difference with Chicago is that from the Loop, Midway is still about a 30 minute ride on the train and doesn't have a huge time advantage over O'Hare, and far fewer overall destinations.

In DC on the other hand, you have two airports that are some combination of closer and better served than Dulles. Yes, the United hub is there, but United offers very limited flights from Dulles to airports that are well served by DCA. For most people who aren't completely loyal to UA (and that's most of us that don't work for the government), Dulles is generally only used for international flights and routes that are outside of DCA's perimeter zone and not well covered (such as flights to LAX, PHX, SEA, etc.). And with the plethora of beyond perimeter exemptions nowadays, those destinations aren't even exclusively served from Dulles anymore. There's a lot of reasons it's the least busy airport in the DC area, but I'd argue the competition from two other airports as well as the distance/time are the main ones.

I think a downtown to IAH express train would work extremely well and could be done in 30 minutes or so. Here it's about 28 miles from downtown DC to Dulles. Downtown Houston to IAH (as well as downtown Dallas to DFW, for reference) is a distance of about 19 miles. Averaging 40 mph over that distance (which can easily be acheived with a 50 mph design top speed and a couple of quick stops) would get you there in less than 30 minutes. Easily achievable technologically and the city should have a goal to establish that type of service. It would be a game changer for companies already located in the central core, as well as those considering relocating.

I think the way that DART went about it was a good idea in terms of getting it into service quickly, but it's not a real solution for business travelers or anyone that's time sensitive if it takes an hour plus. Outside of heavy traffic times, you can be from your office in downtown Dallas to the security line at DFW in 40 minutes while driving. With that said, for leisure travelers, it should slowly become very popular for the reasons stated above (convenience, not having to park/bother folks for a ride, etc.) I think it will prove to work well for that market.
 
Old 08-01-2014, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Dallas,Texas
6,695 posts, read 9,947,759 times
Reputation: 3449
Parking pinch means more garages coming to downtown Dallas | Dallas Morning News
 
Old 08-01-2014, 10:32 AM
 
Location: Dallas,Texas
6,695 posts, read 9,947,759 times
Reputation: 3449

DART DFW Airport Station opens Aug 18 - YouTube
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Closed Thread


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top