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Christof Spieler Profile picture
@christofspieler
May 8, 2021 • 5 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
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The southeast corner of Downtown Fort Worth. I-30 and the former Texas & Pacific (now UP) run left to right. I-35W, the former ATSF (now BNSF), the former SP (now UP), and the former MKT (now UP) cross them.
This the Texas & Pacific station, with its 1931 tower, now end of the line for Trinity Railway Express commuter trains (you can see one departing) to Dallas and TEXRail trains to DFW airport. The commuter rail tracks are alongside, but not connected to, the freight tracks.
This is Fort Worth Central Station, where TRE and TEXRail connect to Trinity Metro buses. North of here the commuter trains dive under BNSF and UP, keeping them separated from the busiest freight lines. Amtrak stops here, too — that’s the Heartland Flyer on its midday layover.
This is Tower 55, which handles about 100 trains a day. That's an at-grade crossing -- while something like this BNSF coal train is moving north-south, nothing can move east-west. up.com/cs/groups/publ…
Both the rail and freeway junctions were recently rebuilt; I-30 and the interchange were completely replaced in 1993-2003 (including moving the freeway from in front of the T&P to behind it) and the rail junction was upgraded with additional tracks and new signals in 2013-2014.

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More from @christofspieler

Christof Spieler Profile picture
Sep 3
Transit modes can be used in very different ways. It’s easy to say “city X has a metro” but that does that mean? Here’s an example from the Nordics— three metros with different purposes.

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Stockholm’s metro was designed to replace its streetcar network. That means multiple lines through the city, putting essentially all of the urban core within walking distance of a subway station. Image
They also expanded out to newly built suburbs, but always focusing on dense areas. Some old streetcar lines were kept and upgraded to light rail standards to serve lower density suburban areas. Image
Read 11 tweets
Christof Spieler Profile picture
May 1
Transit question for debate: is this one station or two? Image
TriMet says it’s two — “Gateway/NE 99th Transit Center” and “Gateway North.” And that makes some sense — there’s one set of platforms right next to each other and another platform a distance away. Image
But the distance between these two stations — 400 feet platform to platform — is less than the length of a single subway platform in DC.
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Read 8 tweets
Christof Spieler Profile picture
Jan 8
In January 2004, Houston opened its first light rail line. At 40,000 weekday riders on 7.5 miles within 3 years of opening, Houston beat every other US light rail system except Boston and San Francisco (which has a 100 year head start) in riders per mile. Some lessons: Image
CONNECT CENTERS. The Red Line runs through the heart of Houston’s two busiest centers — Downtown and the Texas Medical Center. It goes where the people are, and attracted even more activity. Through Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, and TMC it’s surrounded by new buildings. Image
SERVE ALL KINDS OF TRIPS. It goes to lots of jobs, but also carries lots of other trips to destinations like universities, hospitals, government offices, stadiums, restaurants, museums, and parks. That leads to ridership all day, not just at rush hour. Image
Read 10 tweets
Christof Spieler Profile picture
Apr 28, 2023
Houston neighborhoods have been dealing with trains blocking crossings for decades. Happily, elected officials are paying attention. But many of the solutions I’ve seen don’t get at the real problem. So here’s a primer on Houston freight rail. A train curving through a r...
Houston is one of the biggest freight rail centers in the country. Because of our huge petrochemical plants, port, and big population, a lot of freight goes to or from here. That means most trains in Houston aren’t just passing through — they’re serving Houston. Aerial view of chemical plants
Nine main lines converge on Houston. Many of the trains on those are headed to the major yards, where containers are loaded and unloaded and where trains of chemicals, lumber, and other cargo are sorted in their way to or from industries. Map showing rial lies from ...
Read 25 tweets
Christof Spieler Profile picture
Apr 4, 2023
A few thoughts on electric buses, and why conversion to electric is not as simple as it seems. Two buses in a convention hall; from one says “100% electrRow of buses in front of a city skyline.
It makes sense that elected officials, advocates, and agency leadership and agency leadership are pushing for electric buses — in addition to the climate benefits, they’re quieter and don’t have any exhaust fumes. Aerial view of a bus in a neighborhood and a park.
Electric buses aren’t the most effective way for transit to help the climate — getting people out of cars is. And riders care about how often the bus comes and how reliably it operates, not the fuel it uses. Still, there’s no doubt electric buses are good. View of a crowd of people boarding a bus.
Read 28 tweets
Christof Spieler Profile picture
Apr 4, 2023
A southbound SEPTA Regional Rail train curves from the original 1890s alignment into Reading Terminal and onto the 1980s alignment into the Center City tunnel.
The old viaduct is now overgrown alongside the ramp leading into the tunnel.
The old viaduct and the tunnel end up in the same place — Jefferson (formerly Market East) station is right under the old Reading Terminal — but the new line runs east-west rather than north-south in order to tie into the old Pennsylvania Railroad Suburban Station.
Read 4 tweets

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