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116-594: Project Connect (listed as Proposition A on the general election ballot) is a transit expansion program by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( CapMetro ) in Austin, Texas , U.S. The program was approved by voters on November 3, 2020, in a local election concurrent with the 2020 presidential election . The project is estimated to cost $ 7.1 billion and will be funded with public funds, both federally and locally through increasing

232-521: A $ 193 million budget that would hopefully break ground in 2027. The project also includes two bus lanes that will begin operating in 2025. The exact budget was $ 172 million in funding from taxpayers, with the remaining $ 21 million in investments and other income. The Austin Transit Partnership has estimated it will spend $ 116 million towards "professional services and administrative costs" with the rest going towards new construction. Of that, $ 8 million

348-462: A $ 50 million grant for the purchase of four new rail cars, which is anticipated to double capacity, and for general improvements to the Downtown MetroRail station. By 2015, CapMetro had taken the first steps in the planning of a permanent downtown station . Although the estimates for cost of the proposed terminal were $ 30–35 million, $ 22 million of this sum came directly from

464-750: A 2001 agreement. Seven cities participate in the CapMetro system and pay the associated 1% sales tax. All are in Travis or Williamson Counties: Additionally, two suburban non-city jurisdictions participate: the Anderson Mill area in Williamson County and Precinct 2, an unincorporated area in north Travis County . Service to rural areas in the counties surrounding Austin is provided by the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS),

580-542: A 3.2-mile (5.1 km), primarily elevated southeastern extension to serve the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport , and a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) northern extension shared with the Orange Line along Guadalupe Street and North Lamar Boulevard to Crestview station . The blue line will run at a frequency of every 10 minutes, but that frequency can be increased for special events if needed. On parts of

696-434: A 7.537 million contract with Keolis to oversee fixed-route bus operations and maintenance for MetroRapid and MetroBus services. The contractor also manages the transit agency’s current 1,212 bargaining employees along with its 36 operations, safety and general management personnel. A new logo and rebranding campaign received mixed public feedback CapMetro began bus service to Round Rock in summer 2017. Instead of paying for

812-452: A Phase I Priority Extension north to Crestview Station with the Blue Line, running a similar route to the current MetroRapid Route 801 . The Orange Line will run at a frequency of every 10 minutes, but that frequency can be increased for special events if needed. On parts of the route where two light rail lines share the same tracks, trains will arrive every 5 minutes. The MetroRail Green Line

928-548: A Texas Department of Transportation grant awarded to CapMetro in 2014. Proponents of the station asserted that it will not only alleviate the congestion problems associated with the current downtown MetroRail terminal, but also serve as a cultural hub wherein future residents and visitors can easily access many current and potential amenities, including but not limited, to additional transit systems, shopping, and recreational activities. The new permanent Downtown station opened on October 19, 2020. CapMetro continued planning for

1044-625: A city subsidy. The next year, the city created the Austin Transit System, a city agency which began operations in January 1973 with Austin Transit Co. as the operator of the now city-owned system. CapMetro was established by a referendum on January 19, 1985 to provide mass transportation service to the greater Austin metropolitan area. Voters in Austin and the surrounding area approved the creation of

1160-719: A dedicated transitway, which will allow it to bypass the traffic that plagues the corridor it follows. The Orange Line will operate from North Lamar Transit Center to Stassney & Congress, and will follow the current route of the 801 or a similar alignment. The stations will be North Lamar Transit Center, Crestview (where a transfer to the Red Line will be possible), Koenig, Triangle, Hyde Park (38th), Hemphill Park (29th), UT West Mall (24th), Capitol West, Government Center, Republic Square, Auditorium Shores, SoCo, Oltorf, St. Edward's, South Congress Transit Center, and Stassney. A potential future extension north to Tech Ridge and south to Slaughter

1276-468: A failed light rail vote in 2000 on urban rail in Austin. A vote on urban rail, a light rail or a streetcar system, was initially planned to be put to the voters as early as 2012. The light rail expansion plan was presented to voters but failed in 2014. In November 2020, Project Connect was approved by voters on the 2020 election ballot. The plan calls for 2 new light rail lines, 1 new bus rapid transit line (which could be converted to light rail in

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1392-497: A federally funded rural transportation agency which interlines with CapMetro at several transit centers. In 2008, CapMetro voted to approve an interlocal agreement policy that would allow cities or government agencies to hire CapMetro to provide transit service, without requiring the 1% sales tax. The cities of Round Rock , Pflugerville (an original participating jurisdiction which withdrew in 1999), and Georgetown all have established this type of agreement with CapMetro though

1508-630: A few feet from the mule car tracks. Just a few months after the electric streetcars started running, an Austin City Railroad mule stable was destroyed in a fire and a few weeks later the company merged into the Austin Rapid Transit Railway leading to the end of mule-drawn service in October. The streetcar service faced challenges over the next years including a lack of power that forced the service to return to mules at several points. In 1897,

1624-452: A general strike in November 2008. In 2008, StarTran voted to begin a general strike, despite the fact that StarTran employees were already the highest paid bus operators in the state. Beginning on November 5, 2008, the strike caused the transit agency to reduce its fixed and paratransit service levels, particularly impacting Austin residents who had to use public transit. During the strike,

1740-454: A light rail network running between neighborhoods of Austin's urban core. After the failure of the system proposed in 2000, by 2014 CapMetro had settled on a new, more easterly proposed routing: 9.5 miles through South Austin along Riverside, through Downtown and UT along Trinity and San Jacinto, and north along Red River and Airport to ACC Highland. In November 2014, when asked to approve $ 600 million in bonds to be repaid by property taxes to fund

1856-548: A loss from 1892 and was in receivership from 1897 until it shut down in 1902 selling its assets at auction to its president, F. H. Watriss. Watriss established the Austin Electric Railway Company in 1902 and the old company was merged into the new one. The new company lasted until 1911 when it was bought by New England investors and renamed the Austin Street Railway Company. In the early 1910s

1972-537: A new station along the Red Line, at McKalla (adjacent to the Austin FC soccer stadium ). A second station is proposed for Broadmoor ( The Domain ). When completed these would replace the existing Kramer station. In September 2008, CapMetro evaluated the need for rail service to alleviate pressure from congestion downtown to Colony Park, with a potential extension to Elgin . To fix this problem, CapMetro decided to plan for adding another rail line to their service, or

2088-869: A number of other transit modes. CapMetro's various bus services, which include express bus, bus rapid transit, and university shuttle systems, are by far the agency's most used services representing over 16.6 million of the agency's total 17.8 million boardings in fiscal year 2020. While the majority of bus routes operate within Capital Metro's jurisdictional area, the agency has contracts with cities and organizations to provide services outside its core service area. CapMetro's core fixed route bus service, CapMetro Bus, includes 82 standard routes and 15 high-frequency bus routes as of August 2021 . It has several primary categories of routes: Local (Routes 1-99), Flyer (Routes 100-199), Feeder (Routes 200-299), and Crosstown (Routes 300-399). CapMetro Busalso provides contract service to

2204-464: A passenger rail system at the height of the 1970s energy crisis . When voters approved CapMetro's creation in 1985, the agency was seen not only as the new operator of local bus services but as the developer of a future passenger rail as well. The next year, CapMetro partnered with the City of Austin to purchase the 162-mile (261 km) Giddings -to- Llano Austin and Northwestern Railroad (A&NW) from

2320-481: A pedestrian crossing Braker Lane and Jollyville Road. The next fatality happened on January 29, 2019 when a driver struck Anthony John Diaz while he was cycling near the University of Texas campus. Capital Metro previously used three contractors to run it's vehicles. Several passenger injuries were reported on First Transit although they scored higher than respectively StarTran and Veolia . Veolia Transportation

2436-544: A performance review by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts ., the Legislature subsequently overhauled CapMetro and its board of directors.As part of this restructuring, the Legislature ordered CapMetro to hold an up-or-down referendum on passenger rail. In response, CapMetro released an ambitious plan that proposed to spend $ 1.9 billion for a light rail system with 52 miles of track on existing streets. The referendum

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2552-823: A preferred route in May 2023 with surface running and one crossing of Lady Bird Lake. Austin City Council gave its approval to a $ 7.1 billion preliminary project, which would include 9.8 miles of new light rail line, on June 1, 2023. In November 2023, the City of Austin and the Austin Transit Partnership, among others, were sued under the legal theory that the scaled down plans required voter approval. The plaintiffs include former state senator Gonzalo Barrientos ( D - 14 ), Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez (D), and Austin Council Member Ora Houston (D), with

2668-515: A private entity that acts as the authority's agent in managing its unionized workforce. Metro drivers and mechanics are instead represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union , a major labor union representing workers in the transit system that boasts over 188,000 members representing workers. StarTran and the ATU have in the past had troubled contract negotiations, that most recently resulted in

2784-404: A quarter-cent of its tax to those same local governments. That quarter-cent promise was later extended for three more years, eventually amounting to $ 113 million, for a total of $ 204 million. The city of Austin, given that something on the order of 97 percent of CapMetro sales taxes come from within the city, was to be the primary beneficiary of those promises. Since 2000, at least $ 106 million of

2900-522: A regular schedule Friday and Saturday starting March 23, 2012. In addition to the normal Friday schedule, trains will run hourly from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am and every 35 minutes from 4:00 pm to 12:00 am on Saturday. Before beginning the regularly scheduled Friday and Saturday service CapMetro ran weekend service for special events, such as the SXSW festival. Currently, the CapMetro Rail system consists only of

3016-638: A route from the Austin Convention Center to the Austin Central Library. The source of CapMetro's funding has been a source of considerable and consistent controversy since the transit authority's founding in 1985. In December 1988, the board of directors voluntarily lowered the sales and use tax to 0.75-cent. In June 1995, the Board of Directors reinstated the sales and use tax to the full one percent effective October 1, 1995, promising to set aside

3132-516: A shuttle bus service at the University of Texas . TEI already had contracts from the university to provide bus services. Austin Transit balked at this claiming the city had breached its contract by allowing TEI authority to operate in areas that Austin Transit was already serving. Austin Transit gave the city an ultimatum saying they would cease operations July 31 unless the city bought the company. Instead,

3248-557: A significant expansion of rail services. The proposal was initially expected to produce an additional commuter rail line, the Green Line , as well as two light rail lines, the Blue and Orange Lines. This investment is on top of already-approved spending on two new stations for the Red Line. By mid 2023, the light rail portion had been scaled back amid rising costs — the Downtown Tunnel

3364-556: A single diesel-fueled commuter rail line which would use the A&;NW track between Downtown and Leander. The corridor was chosen for the first line after CapMetro's Board identified the following areas as probable areas for future growth: the Highland Mall area, the master-planned Mueller Community redevelopment project, as well as the central business district, extending from the University of Texas at Austin to Lady Bird Lake . MetroRail

3480-488: A traditional collective bargaining agreement with a labor union in the United States . In 1991, however, to comply fully with a state law prohibiting public entities from supervising unionized employees with collective bargaining rights, the CapMetro board determined that its unionized employees and their supervisors should be transferred to a separate non-profit company. In January 1992, CapMetro created StarTran Inc.,

3596-431: A valid pass, ticket, or equivalent upon boarding. CapMetro Rail operates on a proof-of-payment system. In 2010 the total number of board members was increased from seven to eight. The Texas Legislature also reduced the number of elected officials who are required to serve on the board, and instituted new requirements regarding the professional experience of certain appointees. The board consists of three members appointed by

Project Connect - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-462: Is CapMetro's first and currently only rail line, and connects Downtown Austin with Austin's northwestern suburbs. The line operates on 32 miles (51 km) of existing freight tracks, and serves 10 stations. After a series of delays, CapMetro Rail was inaugurated in March 2010. CapMetro added Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening regularly scheduled service on March 23, 2012. In 2023,

3828-584: Is a planned 9.5-mile (15.3 km) bus rapid transit line that would operate from Austin Community College 's Highland campus to the South Congress Transit Center park-and-ride, and will travel on Airport, Red River, San Jacinto/Trinity, 7th/8th, Neches/Red River, 4th, Riverside, and South Congress. Stations will be ACC Highland, Clarkson, Hancock, St. David's, UT East, Medical School, Capitol East, Trinity, Downtown Station (where transfer to

3944-520: Is a proposed 27-mile (43 km) corridor traveling from downtown Austin to eastern Travis County and into Bastrop County , connecting Manor, Texas with downtown Austin by commuter rail. With new transit hubs and Park & Rides, the Green Line would operate along Capital Metro's existing freight line between Austin and Manor, with a possible future terminus at Elgin , connecting suburban residents to central Austin. The Green Line would interline with

4060-454: Is being considered. The new stations would be at Tech Ridge, Parmer, Braker, Rundberg, William Cannon, and Slaughter. In 2020, the planned route was truncated in length to reduce construction costs, with bus bridges providing connectivity through the rest of the corridor. The Blue Line is a planned 15-mile (24 km) light rail line that will operate from North Lamar Transit Center to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport . It will follow

4176-523: Is charged for children under 6 accompanied by an adult and emergency or military personnel in uniform. The University of Texas , Austin Community College , and City of Austin employees have contracts established with CapMetro entitling students, faculty, and staff to ride all CapMetro services for no charge with valid identification. Fares can be paid with a physical pass card, QR code or digital ticket on cell phones, or NFC chip-enabled tickets. Except for CapMetro Rail, all services require riders to present

4292-518: Is set aside for the two bus routes, while the remaining cost will go towards environmental impact reviews, as well as overall design. CapMetro Voters approved the creation of CapMetro in January 1985, agreeing to fund the organization with a one percent sales tax . Operations began in July 1985 and CapMetro took over City of Austin bus services in 1986. In 2010, the CapMetro Rail Red Line,

4408-483: Is set to be heard in court on May 28-30 2024, however, Paxton has attempted to push the hearing until after the 2024 legislative elections seemingly in an effort to reintroduce House Bill 3899, or a similar variant. House Bill 3899 was introduced by Ellen Troxclair (R- 19 ), a former member of the Austin City Council, which would have frozen the project until a new referendum could be held. Despite easily passing

4524-536: The Austin Convention Center in Downtown Austin . The line also passes through Cedar Park , northwest Austin, north-central Austin, and east Austin. The annual cost to operate the Red Line is $ 14.3 million. On January 18, 2011, CapMetro added 13 additional midday trains to the previously limited schedule, as well as increased runs during peak hours. Additionally, the organization will run trains on

4640-620: The CapMetro Rail began service on March 22, 2010. In June 2020, the agency changed or eliminated more than half of all local routes under 'remap' Riders became concerned by the lack of routes and overcrowding on existing and/or rearranged bus routes. A 2019 survey conducted by Eastside Memorial’s student council showed that 70 percent of that student body needed the prior local bus service restored CapMetro had its first passenger/bus fatality in its operating history on January 30, 2012, when route 383 operated by Veolia Transportation bus struck

4756-726: The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization , including an elected official; one member representing the small cities in CapMetro's service area; a member each appointed by the Travis County Commissioners and Williamson County commissioners; and two members appointed by the Austin City Council , in which one must be a member of the Austin City Council . As a public entity, CapMetro is prohibited by Texas law from entering into

Project Connect - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-503: The City of Austin following a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan intended to encourage the use of public transportation by developing mixed-use residential and commercial areas around the stations. Frequencies are expected to improve to 15 minutes after double tracking is completed between Lakeline and Leander. The following Red Line stations are listed north to south: Though trains are available past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays,

4988-548: The Orange Line to cross Lady Bird Lake to the Austin Convention Center and run west on 3rd Street to Republic Square (the city's central transportation hub). Phase I of the line continues north with the Orange Line along Guadalupe Street to terminate 38th Street. The Blue Line will provide key service to the Texas State Capitol complex and The University of Texas at Austin campus. Phase I Priority Extensions include

5104-527: The Project Connect plan. Construction of the Orange and Blue light rail lines would bring rail service to the western half of Downtown, the University of Texas at Austin , and the city's airport . The Green Line would operate similarly to the Red Line, operating on existing freight tracks between Austin, Manor , and Elgin . Advocates of modern urban rail began calling on the city of Austin to develop

5220-587: The Red Line between Downtown and Plaza Saltillo stations, where it will then split off, with the Red Line heading north and the Green Line heading east. CapMetro's Red Line is a commuter rail service linking downtown Austin to residential neighborhoods in East Austin, the Domain , Research Park, Cedar Park , and Leander . Currently under construction is the future Downtown station , which will connect commuters with

5336-586: The Red Line , which is alternately designated as Route 550 on internal CapMetro documents. Its northern terminus is the Leander Station and Park & Ride and the southern terminus is the Downtown (Convention Center) Station. Each station features an accessible platform with varying canopy designs, ticket vending machines (TVM), bike racks, and informational displays. Its nine stations were constructed largely along existing freight rail tracks in cooperation with

5452-555: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company with the express purpose of someday operating passenger rail on it. The purchase price was $ 9.3 million, of which $ 6 million came from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration , $ 0.6 million came from the City of Austin and $ 2.7 million came from CapMetro. On May 20, 1998, CapMetro acquired the City of Austin's share in

5568-459: The $ 204 million promised to Austin and smaller cities such as Manor and Leander. At the same time, however, it was spending more than $ 300 million on commuter rail, park-and-ride lots, a new maintenance and operations center, and other facilities. As the Great Recession spread to Austin in 2009, tax revenues dried up and CapMetro had to stop payment on a $ 51 million loan owed to Austin as part of

5684-444: The 101 Express, which traveled along the same corridor. A second route, CapMetro Rapid Burnet/South Lamar (Route 803), serves a total of 24 stations between The Domain and Westgate . Both the 801 and 803 drew citizen protest until premium fares were discontinued in 2017 and the 801 had also reduced frequency of the then operating 1L/1M. The routes were rebranded CapMetro Rapid in 2023. Since 1989 when it took over operations from

5800-432: The 2014 east-of-downtown route, a Green Line along CapMetro-owned freight tracks to Manor and Elgin and new bus park-and-rides throughout the city rounded out the plan to sway voters beyond the reach of the planned light rail. Voters ultimately approved, by 58%, the increase in property taxes proposed to help fund the system. After voter approval, the engineering and design of the light rail system continued. By 2022,

5916-520: The A&NW's right-of-way through Austin from a station at Howard Lane south to another at the Lamar / Airport intersection , then followed Lamar south to Guadalupe Street, and finally run along Guadalupe to serve the university and Downtown. Future phases would have extended passenger rail service along the entire A&NW right-of-way between Downtown and a Leander station , plus new tracks along South Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive. The 2000 proposal

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6032-503: The Austin suburb of Round Rock (Routes 50, 51, and 152) and the University of Texas at Austin UT Shuttle services (Routes 600-699). In addition to its standard and high-frequency routes, CapMetro Bus runs a variety of special service routes (Routes 400-499) including Night Owl overnight buses and E-Bus entertainment-district services among others. CapMetro Express services are limited stop bus services that run between Downtown Austin and

6148-502: The CapMetro service area to secure funding. CapMetro's All Systems Go Plan includes a study into potential future service. Below are a few expansions which are either in the planning process or otherwise being actively considered. Construction was recently completed on a new passing siding between Park St. and Discovery Blvd. along the northernmost portion of the Red Line in Leander. This siding, along with various other improvements, will allow

6264-509: The Gold Line as light rail that would operate for approximately 9.5 miles (15.3 km) connecting 15 stations from Austin Community College's Highland campus along Airport Boulevard and Red River Street into downtown, across the river and through SoCo (South Congress), a popular neighborhood south of the Colorado River. Along its route, the Gold Line would service UT Austin's main campus to

6380-644: The Green Line. The Green Line would operate with similar service characteristics as the Red Line, as it would also run on existing freight tracks with schedule adjustments made to allow for passenger rail service. Trains would depart the Red Line and begin to head east in between the Red Line stations MLK Jr. and Plaza Saltillo, where the first stop would be Pleasant Valley; more new stations will be at Springdale, East US 183, Loyola/Johnny Morris, and Colony Park. A potential future extension beyond Colony Park with new stations at Wildhorse, Manor, and Elgin . The Green Line will be built from Downtown to Colony Park first, with

6496-513: The MetroRail Red Line. These new trains expanded the fleet from 6 to 10 units, and allowed CapMetro to increase the frequency of the Red Line. The new trains feature a slightly tweaked paint scheme (to better match the MetroBus paint scheme), LED destination displays instead of the flip-dot displays found on the older units, and an updated engine car design that features a rounded top rather than

6612-487: The November 2020 ballot proposition, bringing the total estimated cost of Project Connect to $ 7.1 billion, of which $ 5.8 billion would pay for the 20-mile light rail system. An east-west Blue Line running along Riverside to the airport was planned to connect with the Orange Line downtown, where both would run through a 1.6 mile tunnel expected to provide improved speed, reliability, and capacity compared to an on-street line. A Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit line reusing

6728-610: The Orange Line's route from North Lamar Transit Center to Republic Square, and will follow the current route of MetroBus route 20 or a similar alignment to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport. New stations will be North Lamar Transit Center, Crestview (where a transfer to the Red Line will be possible), Koenig, Triangle, Hyde Park (38th), Hemphill Park (29th), UT West Mall (24th), Capitol West, Government Center, Republic Square, Downtown Station, Macc/Rainey, Waterfront, Travis Heights, Lakeshore, Riverside, Faro, Montopolis, Metrocenter, and Austin–Bergstrom International Airport. The Gold Line

6844-460: The Project Connect plan, CapMetro envisions a fully-electric bus and train fleet. The goal is to completely electrify the fleet of around 400 buses and trains by 2040, and the agency has already purchased 12 electric buses. In 2018, 3 bus manufacturers, Proterra , New Flyer , and BYD , lent electric test buses to Capital Metro for a pilot testing program. The agency ultimately chose Proterra for

6960-410: The Red Line to run 15-minute frequencies for the first time in its history, more than doubling the current maximum frequency of ~37 minutes. Construction on the siding was completed in November 2022. CapMetro has plans to build a new rail line along the abandoned MoKan railway line, which is owned by TxDOT, to Georgetown, Round Rock, and Pflugerville. As part of Project Connect , CapMetro has built

7076-504: The Red, Green, or Blue Lines will be possible), Republic Square, Auditorium Shores, SoCo (South Congress), Oltorf, St. Edward's, and South Congress Transit Center. The Gold Line was changed to light rail in May 2020, citing a demographic that showed an increased projected ridership along the gold line that prompted its conversion to light rail. In July 2020, planning for the line was reverted to bus service to lower construction costs in response to

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7192-423: The University's schedule. CapMetro's CapMetro Rail provides commuter rail services on a single 9-station, 32-mile route, named the Red Line in anticipation of additional rail line development. CapMetro Rail operates the line with 10 diesel-electric rail cars from downtown Austin through the north central and north west areas of the city to Leander , a suburb to Austin's northwest. Since CapMetro began operating

7308-641: The additional revenue for funding light rail. CapMetro, after raising its sale tax from 0.75 percent to 1 percent in 1995, had stockpiled $ 176 million by the 2000 referendum. When light rail was defeated at the polls in 2000, however, pressure mounted to return the quarter-cent it had been setting aside for rail projects. For years, mass transit detractors had coveted the quarter percentage earmarked for rail projects. Political leaders and organizations, including former Republican state Rep. Terry Keel of Austin, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and his anti-rail group Reclaim Our Allocated Dollars (ROAD), wanted

7424-455: The agency initially provided only those routes on the contingency map for a reduced number of hours but added others as resources became available. The Sunset Advisory Commission released its report on CapMetro in April 2010. CapMetro formerly contracted with First Transit , Veolia Transport , but still uses the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS). Plans have been circulating since

7540-549: The agency's first rail service, began operations. The predecessors of CapMetro date back to the late 1800's with the establishment of streetcar services in Austin. In 1874, the City of Austin granted the Austin City Railroad Company a franchise for a "horse or mule railroad" on Congress Avenue , Pecan Street (since renamed Sixth Street ), and 11th Street. Construction of the line began on Pecan in November 1874 and mule-drawn streetcars began operations in January

7656-483: The agency, to be funded in part by a 1 percent sales tax. CapMetro commenced operations on July 1, 1985, and took over the existing city of Austin bus services in 1986. In an effort to boost ridership, CapMetro did away with fares completely and instituted fare-free in an experiment that lasted from October 1989 to December 1990. The program was enormously successful in attracting new passengers, and increased ridership by 75% (though expanded service accounted for some of

7772-623: The already existing Red Line, which will also undergo major improvements. The proposal also calls for general investments to all routes, a fully-electric bus and train fleet, and new park and ride areas throughout the service area. A Downtown Transit Tunnel was originally proposed, but was cut from plans in May 2023. Phase I of the Blue Line would operate on a 7.8-mile (12.6 km) stretch of light rail with 13 stations, running through downtown to 38th Street from Yellow Jacket Lane. The line would provide service along East Riverside Drive, then join with

7888-524: The angled top found on the older units. The units originally purchased in 2005 are numbered 101–106 and the newer units purchased in 2014 are numbered 201–204. The vehicles have a capacity of 200 passengers, 108 seated and 92 standing. The trains have priority seating areas (fully ADA compliant) for wheelchair users. A "VIP section" with room for laptop use with Internet access is also included. Bike racks, luggage racks, high back racks, and low floor entry for easy access are all features of what CapMetro calls

8004-622: The capacity to charge and maintain 200 electric buses, and will be highly automated. The Orange, Blue, and Gold light rail lines will run on electricity, unlike the current Red Line, which uses diesel-electric trains. CapMetro is looking into various options for powering the light rail vehicles, such as a traditional catenary system, using battery-powered trains with quick-charging technology at stations (such as Kinkisharyo 's e-Brid technology), and Alstom 's APS Ground-Level Power Supply system. The existing red line will also be electrified. Neighborhood circulator buses will connect transit areas to

8120-585: The city cannot use money that was earmarked for maintenance and operation to be used for debt service on bonds the ATP planned on issuing. Texas' attorney general, Ken Paxton ( R ) issued an opinion in favor of the plaintiffs, arguing that the ATP's bond funding scheme violates article XI, section 5 of the Texas Constitution . The plaintiffs are requesting that the Travis County district court permanently enjoin

8236-499: The city council to also allow him to operate on Congress Avenue and Pecan Street. Shipe had started a streetcar suburb venture two and a half miles north of the city called Hyde Park , the destination for the first line. By February 1891, Shipe had built 5 miles of track, a new powerhouse to provide electricity for the line, and began operations as the Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company in places running just

8352-605: The city defendants from “continuing to assess or collect the Project Connect tax because they no longer have voter approval for the tax as required by the Texas Tax Code.” As well as asking for a permanent injunction to prohibit the city and ATP “from spending the Project Connect tax on designing, acquiring right-of-way or constructing the Third Street rail route or the Trinity Street Bridge over Lady Bird Lake.” The case

8468-426: The city expanded TEI's contract to cover the rest of the city using school buses which began August 1 after Austin Transit carried through on their threat. However, by November TEI said it was losing US$ 20,000 and would have to stop service January 1 forcing the city start subsidizing operations in January 1971. However, by March 1971 Austin Transit had a new contract with the city and restarted operations now with

8584-601: The company began buying power from the first Austin Dam, which had been completed in 1893, but in 1899 a drought and breakdown of a company-owned powerhouse left them without power for months. Then, in April 1900, the Austin Dam failed catastrophically . Following the dam break, the electric streetcars were again mule-drawn until the company finished building its own power plant. The Austin Rapid Transit Railway had operated at

8700-457: The company faced stiff competition from jitney drivers who would follow streetcar lines offering cheaper service but those disappeared when they were unable to meet a city bond requirement. From the late 1910s into the 1930s, increasing automobile usage cut into streetcar revenue. Austin Street Railway began offering bus service on certain routes in the late 1920s. At the time, the company

8816-480: The cost estimate to fully implement the original Project Connect plan had increased to $ 10.3 billion due to increased property acquisition prices, inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and scope changes to the original design. In particular, flood mitigation concerns, a Capitol View Corridor , and community engagement had combined to double the downtown tunnel's length to 4.2 miles. The most recent version of

8932-465: The deepest level containing the platform for boarding trains. All underground stations will be fully climate-controlled, and will utilize technologies such as platform screen doors on the platform level to assist with climate control and enhance passenger safety. By 2021, planners were considering moving the Orange Line's southern portal to near Lively Middle School at Leland Street, citing engineering challenges with emerging close to Lady Bird Lake and

9048-592: The downtown area, giving commuters and visitors direct access to the Austin Convention Center . Multiple upgrades to the red line are proposed by Project Connect. Two new stations were planned, at McKalla (adjacent to the new Austin FC soccer stadium ), and at the Broadmoor development. These new stations would replace the existing Kramer station. The installation of positive train control was completed in August 2020. Additionally, once

9164-528: The east, easing access to sports events, given the line's close proximity to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and new Moody Center . Project Connect proposed a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) transit tunnel underneath the Downtown area, which would serve the Orange, Blue, and (eventually) Gold light rail lines. The tunnel would have run under Guadalupe street from Cesar Chavez street to at least 14th street, as well as under 4th street from Guadalupe to Trinity street. If

9280-441: The estimated cost of the light rail portion of Project Connect had ballooned to $ 10.3 billion, up from the initial $ 5.8 billion estimate. Austin Transit Partnership presented five reduced plans in March 2023 in order to deliver the light rail lines with the provided funding. Most of the proposed alternatives did away with tunneling downtown, with a greater reliance on surface running tracks. Austin Transit Partnership selected

9396-634: The exact levels and types of service contracted varies widely between them. Currently only Round Rock has such an agreement. Several other cities were original CapMetro participants but later withdrew: Cedar Park withdrew in 1999, Rollingwood and West Lake Hills both withdrew in 1988, and Volente withdrew in 2016. CapMetro began as a bus-only transit system when it inherited the bus services of city-owned Austin Transit System at inception. However, it has since diversified and now operates commuter rail services, paratransit services, bike sharing and

9512-589: The extension to Elgin considered at a later time. In December 2008, a presentation, and then a follow-up, were given to the CAMPO Transit Work Group about the Green Line. In May 2018, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 to move forward with a viability study of the Green Line. A contract was approved for the Orange Line on March 20, 2019. The Orange Line is a planned 20-mile (32 km) light rail line that will run in

9628-542: The far suburbs. Express routes are designated as routes 900–999, and are served by buses in the red Express livery (though on occasions they may be served by buses in the regular CapMetro Bus livery as well). In January 2014, CapMetro launched a bus rapid transit service branded MetroRapid, utilizing articulated buses operating in shared lanes with automobile traffic. Service on the first route, CapMetro Rapid North Lamar/South Congress (Route 801), began on January 26, 2014. It replaced existing bus Routes 1L and 1M, as well as

9744-466: The federal government. However, CapMetro never officially sought the federal money and revealed in 2010 it has spent $ 105 million on the system's construction, not $ 90  million as originally suggested. Additionally, the original 2008 launch date for CapMetro Rail was postponed two years due to multiple safety and construction issues. Service on CapMetro Rail finally began on March 22, 2010. On June 26, 2014, TxDOT awarded CapMetro with

9860-536: The future), 1 new commuter rail line, new CapMetro Rapid bus routes, new regional park and rides, as well as last mile infrastructure investments. CapMetro Rail#Red Line CapMetro Rail is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) system that serves the Greater Austin area in Texas and is owned by CapMetro , Austin's primary public transportation provider. The Red Line

9976-421: The growth). The fare-free scheme, however, attracted problem riders who drove away quality ridership. In response, 75% of transit drivers voted to have the program discontinued immediately in 1990. In 1997, a string of Texas Legislature and FBI investigations uncovered a dysfunctional organization beset by poor management. in an attempt to make the transit authority both more effective and transparent ahead of

10092-477: The house three times, the bill would be defeated in the Texas Senate each time, triggering the three-reading rule, which prohibits a bill from being read in a single legislative session more than three times. Additionally, Paxton has full authority to approve or deny any entity that wants to issue debt in the state. On September 24, 2024, it was announced that Project Connect would tentatively be going forward with

10208-400: The largest, and all other stations being smaller. Large stations such as Republic Square will have 3 levels/floors (sorted from shallowest to deepest): A level containing a food court, mezzanine with a performance stage for local music, and pedestrian tunnels to provide access to other buildings in Downtown, a middle level containing small shops and restaurants, public restrooms, and seating, and

10324-541: The last train leaving downtown Monday through Thursday is at 7:20 pm. In September 2005, Stadler Rail won a bid to build six Stadler GTW diesel-electric light regional railcars for the system. Each of the vehicle's capital costs is about $ 6 million, and they run on two 375-kilowatt (503 hp) diesel–electric traction generators for 750 kilowatts (1,010 hp) total. They are 9 feet 8 inches (2.95 m) wide and 134 feet (41 m) long. In 2017, CapMetro received 4 new GTW trainsets from Stadler for

10440-400: The lead plaintiff being a burger restaurant built in 1926 named Dirty Martin's that was set to be demolished in the original project proposition. They argue that although the scope of the project was reduced in size and cost in 2022, that the reduced scope warrants an entire new proposition, and cannot proceed or be funded without a popular referendum. More specifically, the plaintiffs argue that

10556-418: The line had a ridership of 485,400, or about 1,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Several proposals to construct new tracks running through the densest areas of the city have been put forward over the years. Austin voters chose not to commit funds towards the construction of a light rail system in 2000 and 2014 but did do so in 2020. Since then, CapMetro has been planning new rail lines as part of

10672-454: The local property tax rate by 8.75 cents. This is a smaller-scale version of the proposal, originally estimated at $ 10 billion, but ultimately downsized to $ 7.1 billion due to Covid-induced cost concerns. Plans were again scaled down in 2023 as construction costs had risen since the proposition's passage. As a part of the plan, CapMetro would add two light rail lines, three bus rapid transit lines, and one commuter rail line to

10788-409: The new Downtown station is complete, the red line will run every 15 minutes, doubling its current frequency and capacity. If Project Connect is built out to its full plan in the future, the red line will be electrified, and station platforms will be extended to accommodate 2-unit trains. The revised proposal would build the Gold Line first as a MetroRapid bus service. The system plan, however, envisions

10904-491: The next year. The company changed ownership several times until 1889 when it was bought by a group of Boston and Chicago investors who planned to extend services and convert the system to electricity. However, before they could do so a new competitor began operations. In 1890, real estate developer Monroe M. Shipe received a city charter to operate electric streetcars on city streets. Initially, this covered only roads not already occupied by other track but he later convinced

11020-410: The performance reviews we have conducted, seen an agency with such a lack of accountability." CapMetro subsequently prepared a greatly scaled-back proposed rail system for voters in November 2004. It sought to build just one starter line that would run north–south at a cost $ 90 million. While the project was somewhat marred by construction delays, questions and safety and cost overruns, the Red Line of

11136-509: The previous, private operators, CapMetro has operated the University of Texas at Austin 's UT Shuttle system. The system is one of the largest university transit systems in the United States and carries over 5.2 million passengers a year. The UT Shuttle network is open to the public but UT students, faculty, and staff receive free transportation on it as well as on all standard CapMetro Bus services. Other passengers pay standard CapMetro Bus fares. UT Shuttle services are seasonal, varying along with

11252-439: The project is eventually built out to its full plan, another tunnel would be dug under Trinity street from Cesar Chavez street to 14th street to serve the gold line. The plan proposes multiple underground stations for the light rail lines, at locations including Republic Square , Downtown Station , Government Center, Trinity, and Capitol East. The underground stations will vary in size, with Republic Square or Downtown Station being

11368-516: The project, approved by the Austin City Council in June 2023, no longer includes a downtown tunnel after it was eliminated to reduce costs down to $ 4.5 billion and advance the project more quickly. Trains will initially run along 9.8 miles of dedicated street lanes, with the full system to be constructed once additional funds are available. The CapMetro Rail system currently consists of the Red Line, 32 miles (51 km) of track that connects Leander and

11484-428: The purchase of their first 2 electric buses, later increasing that number to 6 buses. The first 2 Proterra buses arrived in late 2019, and the next 4 arrived in the summer of 2020. In 2019, Capital Metro approved a contract with New Flyer for the purchase of 6 Xcelsior electric buses. The order includes four 40-foot and two 60-foot buses, and these buses were delivered in the summer of 2020. The agency chose New Flyer for

11600-437: The rail service in 2010, the agency has made significant investments in upgrades to the line, a pre-existing freight line that still carriers freight outside passenger operating hours, and facilities including an expanded Downtown station which opened in October 2020. The system was rebranded CapMetro Rail in 2023. In November 2020, Austin voters approved CapMetro's Project Connect transit development proposal which includes

11716-602: The railroad for $ 1 million. During the 1990s, CapMetro faced persistent bad publicity that resulted from dysfunctional management and poor accountability. After years of inaction on passenger rail, the Texas Legislature in 1997 stepped in and ordered the public transport provider to hold a referendum on light rail. In response, CapMetro drew up an ambitious plan for a $ 1.9 billion, 52-mile (84 km) system to be funded by federal funds and local sales taxes. The 2000 proposal's 14-mile "starter segment" would have used

11832-507: The route where two light rail lines share the same tracks, trains will arrive every 5 minutes. Phase I of the Orange Line , planned to be approximately 5.2 miles (8.4 km) with 9 stations, will link North and South Austin. The line would run from Oltorf Street to Lady Bird Lake along South Congress Avenue , before joining with the Blue Line and connecting to Downtown and the UT Campus, terminating jointly at 38th Street. The route would share

11948-533: The safest and most technologically advanced trains in North America. Internet access is provided via 3G cellular-based service. CapMetro is currently researching upgrading access to 4G but is dependent on the carrier offering a commercial-grade product that will work with CapMetro's devices. For safety, the vehicles have ten cameras outside and six inside, as well as a sophisticated communications system. Any potential expansion would require another referendum in

12064-580: The sales-tax money to build projects such as a highway loop around Austin and an east–west freeway. As pressure mounted on CapMetro, Keel announced his intention to roll CapMetro's taxing authority back to a half-cent and redirecting the other half-cent to highway construction. To head that off and keep rail's future prospects alive, the CapMetro board passed resolutions in the months after the vote making two promises: It would direct $ 91 million of its existing reserves to local governments for transportation projects, and it would dispense all proceeds that year from

12180-475: The same month Austin Street Railway changed its name to the Austin Transit Company. For the next several decades, the Austin Transit Company was the city's contractor for transportation services. In 1969 and 1970 contentious contract negotiations between the city and the bus operator led to significant changes. In June 1970 the city had granted a franchise to Transportation Enterprises Inc. (TEI) to run

12296-411: The second order of buses because they offered the 60-foot option, which Proterra does not offer. CapMetro also chose to buy from two different manufacturers to help compare the performance of each company's buses and inform decisions on larger contracts in the future. CapMetro broke ground in 2019 on a new electric bus charging facility at their North Operations yard on Burnet Road. The facility will have

12412-467: The services with the 1% sales tax used by CapMetro participating jurisdictions, Round Rock contracted with CapMetro to provide services for set costs. In June 2018, CapMetro began testing driverless buses . If successful the buses would run for free as part of a 12-month pilot program. In summer 2018, CapMetro began testing autonomous electric shuttles on Downtown streets. The pilot program tested two driverless bus models from EasyMile and Navya on

12528-422: The surrounding community. According to the proposal, there will be 15 new neighborhood zones for this first/last mile connection service. For last mile connections, CapMetro proposes an electric bike fleet at transit hubs as well as rental/payment integration in the CapMetro mobile application. In addition to new services, CapMetro is also proposing nine new park and rides throughout the region. By April 2022,

12644-452: The system, Austin-area voters again rejected light rail, with only 43% voting in favor. The third light rail proposal drafted by CapMetro and submitted to voters was far more elaborate than the first two. Planners returned to a core concept of the 2000 proposal: a north-south line running west of UT and Downtown along Lamar and Guadalupe, then along South Congress Avenue south of Downtown. However, numerous other elements were also included in

12760-511: The topography of South Congress. Currently, CapMetro operates two bus rapid transit routes (801 and 803) branded as CapMetro Rapid . Under Project Connect, seven new lines are proposed as enhanced or potential future service throughout Austin. In addition to connecting different transit services, these lines mostly feature a park and ride at their terminus for commuters. Project Connect also proposes four new MetroExpress commuter bus lines, as well as extended service to existing lines. As part of

12876-548: Was eliminated in lieu of a surface route which had been truncated in length. In addition to its core bus and rail operations, CapMetro operates several additional services: CapMetro operates routes using three different fare classes: Several groups are eligible for Reduced Fare IDs issued by CapMetro entitling them to a discount of half the listed price for fares: seniors 65 and over, Medicare card holders, persons with disabilities, students 6-18 with valid school identification, and active and reserve military with valid ID. No fare

12992-650: Was given a safety review plan 2011. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2023, CapMetro scaled back weekday operations to their standard Sunday schedule. UT Shuttles, Night Owl, and Saturday CapMetro Rail services were suspended, rail replacement bus service, route 455 Leander-Lakeline Shuttle, was operated in place of Saturday CapMetro Rail services, and Capmetro added mobile scanners to both rear and back doors on most Bus vehicles to encourage all-door boarding and thereby social distancing. Most services returned to normal in mid-August 2023. In 2023, Capmetro also began

13108-511: Was narrowly defeated by 2,000 votes, receiving support from 49.6% of voters; most of central Austin voted in favor whereas suburban and exurban areas within the service area voted against. CapMetro came back in 2004 with a significantly scaled-down version of its 2000 plan that it hoped voters in Travis County and Williamson County would find more palatable. Rather than a comprehensive network of electric light rail vehicles, CapMetro proposed

13224-508: Was narrowly defeated in November 2000 by 2,000 votes, with voters in central Austin tending to favor it, while those outside the city limits did not. The Comptroller's review cited an "ongoing criminal investigation" by the FBI , "irresponsible management", "expensive, embarrassing mistakes", "dubious contracting and purchasing practices", and $ 118,000 spent on "food, parties, and presents for its employees" and culminated with, "We have never, in all of

13340-454: Was operating 23 miles of track but by 1939 that was down to 17 miles and it was running 29 miles of bus routes. The last streetcar line to operate was the main line which began on Congress Avenue, ran south of the capitol to Lavaca Street, north on Lavaca to 19th street, then west to Guadalupe ending in a loop at Hyde Park. It was replaced by broken dreams of future residents in February 1940 and

13456-548: Was presented to voters as part of the All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan, which also included expanded local and express bus service. The 2004 version was approved by 62% of voters in the service area. The organization at the time said they could have the system built by 2008 for a cost of $ 60 million, and borrow $ 30 million for six train cars to be paid back over a period of years. About $ 30 million of that cost, they said, would come from

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