Quitman/Near Northside station

Quitman/Near Northside
General information
Location	Northbound: 2321 North Main St. Southbound: 2236 North Main St. Houston, Texas
Coordinates	29°46′49″N95°21′49″W / 29.7804°N 95.3637°W / 29.7804; -95.3637
Owned by	Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Line	Red Line
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	METRO: 66 METRO Community Connector (M-F): Heights, Near Northside
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	8 spaces
Bicycle facilities	9 covered spaces, repair station [1]
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	December 21, 2013;12 years ago (2013-12-21) [2]
Services
Preceding station METRORail Following station Burnett Transit Center toward Fannin South Red Line Fulton/North Central toward Northline Transit Center/HCC
Location

Quitman/Near Northside station (also known as Quitman station) is a light rail station in the Near Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. The station is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and serves the Red Line of its METRORail system.

The station is located in the median of Main Street at its intersection with Quitman Street. It is the northernmost Red Line station to be located on Main Street; following Red Line stations are instead located on Fulton Street. The station is adjacent to Ketelsen Elementary School, and it is also 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) southwest of Marshall Middle School and Northside High School.

History

A station at Quitman Street was planned as part of the North Line, which extended the Red Line north from UH Downtown to Northside/HCC. Initially, the station was simply named Quitman station. In 2011, following a community survey, METRO changed the station's name to Quitman/Near Northside. ^[3]

The station's location at Quitman and Main was viewed by both city and regional planners as a promising location for development, with a Houston-Galveston Area Council study referring to the station as "a key gateway into the 'heart of Northside' area". ^[4] In 2012, an independent research team produced a health impact assessment for several transit-oriented development proposals in the area surrounding the station. According to the authors, the study was the first such assessment for any rail station in Texas. ^[5]

Due to the station's proximity to three schools, artist Leticia Huerta designed its windscreens and platforms with an educational theme. ^{[6] [7]} The station opened with the North Line extension on December 21, 2013. ^[2]

In 2016, following the murder of schoolchild in the surrounding area, METRO opted to increase police presence at the station. ^[8]

In 2025, METRO expanded its Community Connector microtransit service into Near Northside and neighboring The Heights. Both neighborhoods' service zones utilize Quitman/Near Northside as a transfer point between Community Connector and METRORail. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "Access by Bike". METRO . Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
2. Begley, Dug (December 20, 2013). "North Line latest step, but hardly the last". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved July 10, 2016.
3. Radley, Whitney (December 21, 2011). "Names for stops at three new METRORail lines more or less state the obvious". Houston CultureMap. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
4. Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP (August 2010). Northside Livable Centers Planning Study (Report). Houston-Galveston Area Council. p. 74.
5. Solitare, Laura; Andress, Lauri; Hamilton, Winifred J.; Lewis, Carol A.; Crossley, David; Crossley, Jay Blazek (June 1, 2012). A Health Impact Assessment of Transit-Oriented Development at the Quitman Light Rail Station in Houston, Texas (Report).
6. Glentzer, Molly (August 7, 2013). "MetroRail commissions art for new light-rail stations". Houston Chronicle . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
7. "Houston Metro Light Rail Station Projects in Houston, TX". Public Art Archive. Creative West. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
8. Delaughter, Gail (May 26, 2016). "Metro Wants To Ease Rail Security Concerns After Northside Murder". Houston Public Media . Retrieved January 17, 2026.
9. "METRO expands Community Connector Service to The Heights". The Leader . April 15, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
10. Dawkins, Gabrielle (June 23, 2025). "METRO expands free neighborhood shuttle service to Houston's Near Northside". Houston Public Media . Retrieved January 17, 2026.