The METRORail Red line began operating along Main St. in 2004. For 21 years, these trains have enjoyed traffic signal priority – meaning when the train approaches, green lights last longer so that the train can pass.
UPDATE: Wednesday, November 5, 2025
On November 5, METRO and the City reversed their previous decision on Downtown traffic signals and restored full transit signal preemption (TSP) to the Red Line. Thank you to the more than 700 riders who signed our petition, raced the Red Line, and took time to speak directly to decision makers to demand reliable service.
Currently, Houstonians make over 30,000 trips on the Red Line each weekday – but made more than 50,000 in 2019. Red Line ridership can’t grow without reliable service made possible by TSP. This decision is the first step towards making that happen. Houstonians deserve high quality public transit, and LINK Houston will continue to work with decision makers to ensure it is available to everyone.
UPDATE: Thursday, October 23, 2025
At the October board meeting, METRO staff addressed the reliability issues with the Red Line and committed to restoring service to its previous level:
“There is no question, we will get our system back and restored and [get] efficient travel up and down the Red Line.”
– Tom Jasien, METRO Interim President and CEO
“The run-time had increased by 6 or 8 minutes, now it’s down to an extra 3 minutes, so it’s still within our on-time performance limits, but we’re still trying to get it down to where it used to be.”
– Shri Reddy, METRO Executive Vice President of Infrastructure Improvements
Transit signal preemption is still deactivated in the southern half of Downtown from McKinney Street to St. Joseph Parkway. Red Line service will continue to run with delays, continue to run under capacity, and continue to lose ridership until preemption is restored in full.
UPDATE: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Thanks to your advocacy, trips on the Red Line are moving faster! Transit signal preemption has been restored to 16 of 26 intersections in Downtown and Midtown: from Commerce to Walker streets in Downtown, and from Pierce to Alabama streets in Midtown.
UPDATE: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Users of the METRORail Red line system reported that their trains were stopping at red traffic lights. Without traffic signal priority, red line commutes are taking an average of 10 minutes longer. Multiply that by the 34,000 daily boardings and you get 5,600 hours of wasted time for passengers. That is unacceptable.
How can you help?
Share your story with LINK Houston.
LINK Houston is an advocacy nonprofit working for a more robust transportation system. LINK staff and volunteers lift up the stories of transit riders to help elected leaders understand how agency decisions affect riders. Please let us know how these changes to the Red Line are affecting you.
Speak at the METRO Customer Experience, Operations & Business Development Committee Meeting.
The METRO Customer Experience, Operations & Business Development Committee is comprised of METRO board members and is the most relevant committee for discussing Red Line delays. Their next meeting will be held likely on Thursday, November 13 – exact time TBD. The committee hears public comments at the beginning of the meeting.
You can register to speak by emailing BoardOffice@ridemetro.org or by calling 713-739-4834 by Tuesday, November 11, at 9:00 a.m. The Committee Meetings are held on the second floor of METRO Headquarters at 1900 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 next to Downtown Transit Center.
Speak at the METRO Board Meeting.
The next meeting of the METRO Board of Directors is Thursday, November 20 at 9:00 a.m. The board hears public comments at the beginning of the meeting.
You can register to speak by emailing BoardOffice@ridemetro.org or by calling 713-739-4834 by Tuesday, November 18, at 9:00 a.m. The Board Meetings are also held on the second floor of METRO Headquarters at 1900 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 next to Downtown Transit Center.
Report your experience to 311.
Houston Public Works maintains traffic signals throughout the city. Let them know they need to keep transit priority on for their traffic signals. You can file a Traffic Signal Maintenance request on their website.
File an official complaint with METRO.
METRO has told us that this is a city issue, however you can also file an official complaint to METRO customer service.
