Moving Medicine: METRO's Critical Link to the Texas Medical Center

Houston is recognized around the world as a leader in medicine, anchored by the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the most prominent destination for medical research and a global authority in cancer treatment. As the largest medical complex in the world, the TMC stands at the forefront of discovery, education, and lifesaving care. METRO serves as the essential artery of that mobility, keeping the medical center connected and ensuring its workforce and community can continue advancing breakthroughs in health and healing.

The Texas Medical Center is more than a cluster of hospitals and labs. It is a small city within Houston. The area is home to more than 120,000 employees and 50,000 life science students, and it sees over 10 million patient visits every year, making it one of the most vital hubs for health, education, and innovation in Houston. The campus itself spans 50 million square feet, making it the eighth largest business district in the United States. These numbers are impressive, but they also represent real people who rely on transit each day to heal, learn, and innovate.

How METRO is Moving the Medical Center

The METRORail Red Line is a lifeline to the TMC, carrying tens of thousands of riders each week to stations like Dryden/TMC and Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo. In addition to rail, 19 bus routes, Park & Ride services, and METROLift provide critical connections for employees, patients, and students who rely on public transit every day. More than 55,000 daily riders rely on METRO’s services connected to the Texas Medical Center. This level of ridership highlights how essential public transit is to the daily life of the world’s largest medical complex.

We recognize that in health care, time is critical. A delay is more than an inconvenience, it can ripple through patient care and research. Every day, nurses rely on our network to arrive for overnight shifts, and patients count on us to help them access lifesaving treatments on time.

Our goal is to make every trip efficient and predictable, whether it’s a nurse heading to a night shift, a patient making a critical appointment, or a student balancing a full day of classes and clinical rotations.

METRONowPlans for the Texas Medical Center

As part of the METRONow plan, the Texas Medical Center Transit Center is undergoing a major transformation that reflects our commitment to innovation and accessibility. The upgrades include new elevators and escalators to improve accessibility, a pedestrian bridge to make it safer and easier for riders to navigate one of the busiest transit hubs in the region, as well as plans to expand the driveway and repair the surrounding sidewalks to further enhance safety and flow for everyone using the facility.

All our buses are equipped with upgraded ADA features such as ramps or lifts, priority seating, securement areas for wheelchairs, audio and visual stop announcements, and easy-to-reach call bells. We’ve upgraded the METROLift fleet, putting 100 new replacement vans into service with 141 more set to arrive by the end of the year. Ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) across our system, especially in the Texas Medical Center, helps guarantee that everyone, regardless of ability, can ride with safety and ease.

These forward-looking efforts are not only about moving people, they’re about sustaining the economy, supporting education, and ensuring world-class health care remains accessible to all. 

METRO Invests in Texas Medical Center’s Future

The value of transit extends beyond transportation. By reducing congestion, METRO supports business continuity and helps employers retain staff. By offering affordable mobility, we allow students to focus on their studies instead of parking costs. By moving people efficiently, we reduce emissions and improve air quality, advancing the shared mission of better public health. In this way, the work of METRO and the mission of the TMC are deeply aligned.

As Houston continues to grow, METRO will grow along with it. At METRO, we see ourselves as more than a transit provider. We are a partner in health, business, and education. When we deliver reliable mobility, Houston delivers groundbreaking research, compassionate care, and innovation that reaches across the globe. Quite simply, when we keep the Medical Center moving, we keep Houston moving.