Capital Metro is applying for a $7.7 million federal grant to help fund the relocation of its Kramer station. The agency is currently spending millions to upgrade its commuter rail line.

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Capital Metro is seeking federal funds to help cover the $16.7 million cost associated with relocating its Kramer MetroRail station a half-mile north to the IBM Broadmoor Campus.Grant applications for funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’sBetter Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program are due July 19, and Capital Metro is seeking $7.7 million.“The focus of BUILD is on using public funds to leverage private investment, and that’s exactly what this project would accomplish,” said Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro’s senior vice president of planning and strategic development.The existing Kramer Station does not have any parking and has limited access. Capital Metro officials have said it is not an ideal location Talk of relocating the station in North Austin near The Domain has gone on for years, but an official plan did not materialize until recently when Brandywine Realty Trust, which owns the IBM site, proposed to relocate the station and build a 400-space parking structure as part of its redevelopment plan of the campus , slated for final approval tomorrow More than half of the funding for the new station would come from Brandywine as well as Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. because its North Austin campus is located adjacent to the IBM campus.If the grant does not come through, additional funding could come from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Its board approved a resolution Wednesday to support Capital Metro’s grant application as well as to consider offering financial support in the future.Mobility Authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein said a caveat on offering financial assistance would hinge on a revenue stream that would guarantee any repayment of funds.“We’re not just a pavement company," Mobility Authority board Chairman Ray Wilkerson said. “The Park & Ride part would take relief off MoPac, and it would create a much more accessible situation. It’s also a good partnership with Capital Metro.”Relocating the station farther north also raises the question of how a station at 10414 McKalla Place would be funded. Officials from Precourt Sports Ventures, which is proposing to construct a 20,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium, have said they would not build a new station, estimated to cost $13 million.Two other mixed-use proposals by local developers do, however, include plans for a new MetroRail station at McKalla Place.“High-capacity transit is critical to provide access to a [soccer] facility such as what is being proposed,” Hemingson said. “Relying instead on auto access will almost assuredly lead to congestion, delays, increased emissions from motor vehicles, more crashes and other negative outcomes. Plus, if a station is developed, we’d be willing to consider enhanced services to support stadium crowds that could result in the ability to move far more people to and from the events quickly and efficiently than is possible otherwise.”Editor's note: This post was updated to correct the quote by Chairman Ray Wilkerson