History
Due to its status as one of Houston's largest employment areas, rail service to Texas Medical Center has been considered since the 1980s. A 1987 plan proposed a $1 billion, starter rail system with two lines, one of which connected TMC with Downtown Houston. The area was also served by a large number of bus routes. When rail planning was re-started in 1999, the proposed line ran from Downtown to the Astrodome, passing through TMC along Fannin Street. Three stations within TMC were proposed, including a new transit center that served the area's existing bus routes. A groundbreaking was held for the transit center in late 2002. It was built at a cost of $9.2 million and was the largest METRO transit center at the time. The transit center's rail platforms opened with the Red Line on January 1, 2004, while the bus platforms opened a month later on February 15. At opening, the pedestrian overpass between the rail and bus platforms was accessible by stair or elevator. In 2005, in response to higher-than-expected ridership, METRO approved the installation of escalators for the overpass. Proposed developments TMC Transit Center's bus platforms were designed to accommodate development above them. The first such proposal was made in early 2004, where Baxter Development proposed a six-story garage, which would include 1,200 parking spaces and of retail space on the ground floor. While the proposal was recommended by METRO staff, it was rejected by the board, who were concerned that the garage would be used by TMC employees, potentially decreasing ridership on the new line. However, the project was quietly cancelled. In 2011, Kirksey Architecture announced plans to build a complex on top of the transit center. This project was also unsuccessful. ==References==