10:39 PM CDT on Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Dan Lauck / 11 News

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Plans to expand light rail down Richmond Avenue may be in serious jeopardy.

KHOU-TV

Metro's plans to expand on Richmond Ave. may be in jeopardy.

That rail system would link Greenway Plaza, the University of St. Thomas and hundreds of restaurants and businesses.

From the beginning the plan was to run a rail line right down Richmond through Greenway Plaza on its way to The Galleria.

It’s called the University Line because it begins near the University of Houston and Texas Southern University and runs through the Med Center past Rice and the University of St. Thomas.

But that line has been in a precarious position for some time now and Thursday Metro officials went to Washington to sell the line to Houston Congressman John Culberson.

There is talk in Metro circles that the University rail line could be in jeopardy because of Culberson.

“Congressman Culberson has said repeatedly that he does not favor running the line down Richmond. He wants to put it on Westpark,” said David Crossley.

Culberson sits on the House Transportation Committee.

“John Culberson is supposed to bring home the federal funds for Metro’s expansion,  not just the university corridor, but all the expansion lines,” said Robin Holzer  .

Holzer, who heads a city-wide watch-dog group says Culberson, as a member of the House Transportation Committee, also has the power to kill any Metro proposal.

“If he pulls this off the table as an option, then I think we’ve got a huge regional problem,” said Crossley.

Congressman Tom DeLay kept Metro from getting federal funds to build the Main Street line and the last thing Metro wants to see now is Culberson following in his footsteps.

Metro officials said Thursday night that today’s talks reached no conclusion either way.

But with $3 million expected to move here in the next 20 years, transportation expert Crossley said the future of Houston’s transportation is at stake.

“Congestion would be out of control. We’re going to hate it,” he said.