METRORail & Beyhive Buses Work Overtime

Thousands of Beyonce fans packed METRORail stations on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24., trusting the Authority for a safe and reliable ride to the Renaissance World tour.

“First time in Houston, first time riding,” a METRO rider explained upon arriving at the concert. “It was a great experience. Nice and smooth and easy to get from Point A to Point B.”

To prevent long delays, METRO operated beyond service hours, added several more trains each night and brought in 30 ‘Beyhive Buses’ to handle the larger passenger load. The buses traveled along the Red Line making stops near rail stations.

“The METRO was working perfectly. They told everyone the time they were going to leave. They got us here quickly,” explained a concertgoer.

Planning for large crowds begins well in advance and involves coordination among many METRO departments and outside agencies.

“Once I became aware of the event where rail will be impacted, we immediately talked to NRG and got some data on expected attendance and times of opening the stadium,” said Eddie Espinosa, assistant superintendent of special events. “It’s a lot of coordination internally and externally.”

Rail and Bus Operations, METRO Police, Facilities Maintenance, Customer Service, and many other METRO departments spent hours preparing and working on site and across the system, only leaving after the platforms were all clear.

“It’s satisfying when everybody’s clearing out and you think, ‘We did it guys!’ said Espinosa. “We made it happen.”