Quickline Communications

Quickline (also known as Signature Service) is a bus rapid transit (BRT) service operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). Launched in 2009, Quickline provides supplementary service to high-use METRO bus routes, featuring improved buses and stations, fewer stops, and signal priority for improved efficiency. It is one of two BRT services operated by METRO, the other being the METRORapid Silver Line.

Quickline currently consists of one route, Bellaire Quickline (also known as 402 or QL2), which supplements Route 2 and serves a stretch of Bellaire Boulevard from Texas Medical Center to Chinatown on weekdays. Quickline service on other high-use routes has been proposed.

System

Quickline stops feature a distinctive design and signage, larger benches, and improved lighting. A digital display provides the estimated arrival time of upcoming buses, which is updated live using GPS tracking.

When the Bellaire route was first created, METRO painted a blue line along Bellaire Boulevard to provide a visual indication of the corridor to riders. Due to complaints from the Bellaire city council, this was later removed.

Rolling stock

The service originally used New Flyer DE41LFR hybrid-electric buses, which provided on-board security cameras, more comfortable seating, and a quieter interior. The buses were also equipped with automated signaling devices that provide signal priority by lengthening green lights. To distinguish the service from regular METRO buses, they were given a blue-colored vinyl wrap with Quickline's insignia and rabbit logo, as well as a simplified route map.

In 2024, after 15 years of service, the New Flyer buses were replaced with Nova Bus LFSe+ battery-electric buses, which provide USB charging ports and additional space for wheelchair users. These buses are not Quickline-branded because they are also used on a non-Quickline route.

Bellaire Quickline

Bellaire Quickline (route 402 or QL2) is the only Quickline route currently in operation. The route travels along Bellaire Boulevard and Holcombe Boulevard between Texas Medical Center Transit Center and Ranchester Drive, stopping near Bellaire's intersection with Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8). The route passes through the cities of Bellaire, Southside Place, and West University Place, as well as the Sharpstown and Chinatown neighborhoods. Route 2, the main route on Bellaire Boulevard, continues further west to a METRO transit center in Mission Bend.

, the route operates every 30 minutes on weekdays from 5:30 AM to 7:00 PM. There is no weekend service. Due to Quickline's smaller number of stops and signal priority, a typical trip between TMC and Ranchester takes 38 minutes, 14 minutes shorter than the same trip on route 2.

Stations

Bellaire Quickline services 10 stations, including two bus transit centers and a stop on the METRORail Red Line. All but one of these stations are also used as stops on route 2.

The table below lists the stations and any bus routes that they connect to. Frequent bus routes (headways of at least 15 minutes) are listed in bold.

Proposed expansions

Shortly after Quickline was introduced, METRO introduced SwiftLine (route 426), a five-stop route connecting TMC Transit Center to Southeast Transit Center. Similar to Quickline, SwiftLine mirrored a segment of an existing route (in this case route 26) with fewer stops, but it did not feature bus or station improvements. METRO officials planned to convert SwiftLine to a full Quickline route if ridership met expectations, but this did not occur, and the route was discontinued in 2015.

In 2019, METRO's comprehensive METRONext plan included Westheimer Signature, a Quickline route along Westheimer Road. This service would supplement route 82, the system's most-traveled route, and it would also use two-way high-occupancy vehicle lanes on U.S. Route 59 between Greenway Plaza and Midtown to further improve travel times. However, this proposal was quietly dropped in favor of more general corridor improvements.

References

External links

METRO

402 Bellaire Quickline
{{Houston METRORail

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Bus rapid transit in Texas