Lunchtime with Frank
Mary Sit has posted the questions and answers from yesterday's lunchtime chat with METRO CEO Frank Wilson. Here are a few fun ones:
Q : If the rail running along Richmond and connecting Uof H, TSU and Richmond all the way west was a good idea, then why hasn't bus service been put on this route to show how valuable it would be.
A : Good suggestion. We might do it.
[snip]
Q : Why use split canopies at rail stops that leave part of the platform uncovered? When walking along the platform during a rainstorm (or even under the blazing summer sun), the uncovered gap is a nuisance.,
A : Careful design dictated that we cover the entry and exit ways to the rail cars and not the areas of the train that doesn't provide customer access. Yes, I am finding it hard to believe, as well, but that's what the METRO historians tell me.
I'll do my best to make sure that our new platforms have continuous shelters and people can stand wherever they choose while they wait to board our train.
[snip]
Q : Has any consideration been given to pressure washing the beautiful paving at the Metro Rail Stations? They are starting to look stained and dirty. Twice a year may help keep them from looking like NYC Subway stations.
A : I agree with you. But we already require our contractors to steam clean these stations approximately every two weeks. So we either need more steam or more cleaning.
Q : What is METRO's stance on the lawsuit filed yesterday by the Texas Medical Center regarding the stray current from the light rail?
A : We have been working with all the institutions and the utilities in the Medical Center area over the last three years. We have determined that there is no stray current problem, and the Medical Center itself through their own technical studies have determined that there's no stray current problem [not exactly, ed], that no building or utility sustained any damage as a result of stray current. Therefore, as you can imagine, we don't understand their lawsuit.
[snip]
Q : When will METRO hold a referendum to build rail to the suburbs?
A : It was done in 2003. The referendum in 2003 provided for rail into the suburbs.
And METRO disregarded the referendum and embarked on its own version of METRO Solutions!
As Kevin Whited once said regarding Chief Hurtt, "Every time that man opens his mouth, it's an adventure."
It works for Frank J. Wilson, too.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/08 12:49 PM | Print |
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