Here are pictures of the Metro Light Rail station 75 yards from Gate 1 at the new University of Houston football stadium.

What other college football stadiums can fans commute to by train/rail? BC? Northwestern? Georgia Tech?

For those stadiums, what's the distance between the stadium and the nearest train/rail station?

Well there used to be a depot in the center of campus just yards from Kyle Field which was how students used to mainly get there back in the day (hence the town of College Station) but obviously there is no current passenger rail. Several proposed Texas High Speed Rail plans feature College Station as a stop between either Houston and Dallas or Houston and Austin.

Still nothing like what UH has! That's a great addition for y'all and will really help the campus and 3rd ward!

Well...to include FCS teams. Portland State University. The light right goes right by Jeld-Wen stadium. Nothing else comes to mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgantown_...id_Transit

(04-07-2014 01:56 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Here are pictures of the Metro Light Rail station 75 yards from Gate 1 at the new University of Houston football stadium.

What other college football stadiums can fans commute to by train/rail? BC? Northwestern? Georgia Tech?

For those stadiums, what's the distance between the stadium and the nearest train/rail station?

Boston College sits at the terminus of the "Green Line" "B" Branch (the 'Boston College Line") street cars which connect into the entire greater Boston transit network. Walking distance to the stadium is about 5 minutes.

https://www.google.com/#q=green+line+bos...n+pictures

In addition, there is a separate Green Line branch line (the "C" line) that can be accessed from the other side of campus via about a 20 minute walk.

UMD is on the DC metro (needs a shuttle) and light rail expansion will go right past the stadium

San Diego St. has a trolley (light rail) stop on campus and at Qualcomm stadium. Transit time is about 8-10 minutes from the school to the stadium.

I know the PRT at WVU does that. It is old but it works pretty well. I haven't used it since I was in college so I can't remember how close it gets to the stadium itself. It was a good way to get around WVU's hilly campus though.

Arizona State - Sun Devil Stadium is on the Phoenix Metro line - a station is directly in front of the south end of the stadium.

(04-07-2014 02:02 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  Well there used to be a depot in the center of campus just yards from Kyle Field which was how students used to mainly get there back in the day (hence the town of College Station) but obviously there is no current passenger rail. Several proposed Texas High Speed Rail plans feature College Station as a stop between either Houston and Dallas or Houston and Austin.

Still nothing like what UH has! That's a great addition for y'all and will really help the campus and 3rd ward!

Thanks - the SE line starting at the George R Brown convention center and the Dynamo stadium should be operational this summer/fall, hopefully by opening night.

The portion of the track connecting George R Brown through downtown to the Main Street line and the Theater District won't be ready until 2015.

Developers built a bunch of hotels downtown for the 2004 Super Bowl. I'm excited that visiting fans and out of town Coogs can come stay at one of 20 downtown hotels (ranging from your standard hotel all the way up to the Four Seasons) and ride the train 2-3 miles to the stadium.

Here's my stop. A game ticket serves as the lightrail pass for the day. I give away my donor lot parking pass and take the transit to/from games.

UNC Charlotte will have 2 light rail stops on/nearby campus with the new blue line extension in Charlotte. Jerry Richardson Stadium sits in the middle of the two stops. I'd guess a <5min walk to either station. It is in the very early stages of construction and should be online in 2017 and provides a direct link to uptown Charlotte from campus.

(04-07-2014 02:31 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Arizona State - Sun Devil Stadium is on the Phoenix Metro line - a station is directly in front of the south end of the stadium.

I use this one as well.

Also, Pittsburgh's subway station lets off right next to both Heinz Field and PNC Park. It is called the North Shore connector and it actually tunnels beneath the Allegheny River to get you to your destination.

If you want to have a few before or after the game, or if you want to park across the river and save a few bucks, they are a great way to go to the game.




You can also travel by ferry and that is how I take out of town guests to games.

The soon to launch METRO Green Line will have a stop near TCF Bank Stadium, and it will also be about a half-mile north of SeaFoam Stadium on the Concordia campus in St. Paul.

Wow - very interesting. I had no idea so many stadiums had rail/trolley/train commute options. Keep'em coming.

That ferry is cool, Doc!

By train



or by boat

As someone else mentioned, Charlotte will have two stops within walking distance to our stadium. It is unlikely the line will be finished before the 2017 season, so it will probably be 2018 before people are able to ride the train to the game.

The university area in Charlotte is very much in the suburbs, so the light rail line should definitely help connect the school with the city in a way it never has before. Hopefully it will also encourage some of the right kind of development around the area instead of strip malls and surbuban style apartment complexes.

(04-07-2014 02:52 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Wow - very interesting. I had no idea so many stadiums had rail/trolley/train commute options. Keep'em coming.

That ferry is cool, Doc!

Yeah, the ferry is very cool. We call it the Gateway Clipper and you can buy beer or hard liquor or whatever you like on it on your way to the game. That is my go to mode of transportation for out of town guests/clients I am taking to a Pitt or a Steelers or a Buccos game.

The ride itself is only about 15 minutes tops but it's fun and relaxing. It's also cheaper than parking near the stadium.

I can't wait to take my son to games on the Gateway Clipper. He's just under a year old now so he has no idea what's going on but in five or six years, when we're taking it on a warm September Saturday afternoon, he is going to absolutely LOVE it! I cannot wait to experience that with him.

Unfortunately, despite all of the ways people have to get to the stadium, Pitt still struggles to fill Heinz Field. I'd guess that they average about 45K fans in a 65K seat stadium. It can be a little lower if the team is struggling and/or playing against a team the locals don't respect and a little higher if Pitt is good and/or playing against a name team.

Also, for the big name teams, or our big rivals, they do typically fill it up. However, for your run of the mill CFB game against say, Boston College or UConn, there's usually only 45K or so fans there and that looks bad in a stadium where almost all of the seats are bright yellow. Whoever made that decision should be hung from the Fort Pitt Bridge. What a stupid decision that was (at least from Pitt's perspective).

I had the pleasure of spotting for the radio broadcast of the 1996 Houston-Pitt game at the old Pitt Stadium. The crow's nest was pretty damn small up there. But I liked the stadium. And it was right in the middle of campus.