HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — If you frequently use the METRO Red Line, you may have noticed delays.

In fact, some riders tell us their commutes have more than doubled.

“Small delays are a big deal to me because I have a billable hour profession,” said attorney David Lefevre, who said he takes the light rail nearly every weekday.

In fact, more than 30,000 people take METRO’s Red Line every weekday, according to agency statistics.

“I pay 50 cents and that’s great for me,” rider Hanibal Guvara said. “I have a car, but that’s better.”

METRO trains have always had what’s called traffic signal preemption, meaning traffic lights turn green when trains approach.

But that changed last month.

Now, you can see trains stop frequently at intersections, prioritizing drivers and pedestrians.

RELATED: Riders say new Houston traffic light timing makes METRO red line commutes longer

METRO light rail riders say that red lights have always turned green for approaching trains, but that this has not been the case recently.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Peter Eccles, the director of policy and planning for LINK Houston. “Downtown, the medical center, these places require a functional red line to function themselves.”

Eccles said his commute, from the Texas Medical Center to downtown, has nearly doubled.

“Think of it like a kink in a hose,” he said. “If you have problems in one intersection, those things can radiate throughout the entire line.”

METRO officials say they are redoing the entire traffic system downtown to prepare for the World Cup next year.

A METRO spokesperson told ABC13 on Tuesday that improvements are coming, but the agency couldn’t provide any details of current delays or changes coming.

She also wouldn’t confirm or deny a new report from the Houston Business Journal that claims METRO officials knew the traffic light changes would double some commute times.

But according to a presentation from METRO’s vice president of bus operations, delays on the Red Line increased dramatically in September from July and August, with on-time performance falling below 60%.

Ridership, according to METRO statistics, is down about 14% from this year to the last.

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