Bob Falcon waited years for better transit near his Lindale Park house – so long, in fact, that he retired in the interim. Disembarking from a Metropolitan Transit Authority train Monday afternoon, however, his spirits were high.

“In this neighborhood, we’re really banking on it,” Falcon said, just before yanking his bike off the hook he secured it to on the train.

Nearly six months since trains began rumbling north of the central business district along Main and Fulton on the north side, residents and community leaders said the Red Line is becoming a valued part of the neighborhood and a critical link for many transit travelers, even as it contributes to record-setting use of Metro’s light rail system.

“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t an easy construction time,” said Rebecca Reyna, executive director of the Greater Northside Management District. “No construction is easy. Now that it’s there, it is slowly becoming a part of the fabric of the north side.”

via Rail line changing fabric of Northside neighborhoods – Houston Chronicle.