Opinion

Rail between Austin and S.A. would be game-changer

This file photo shows commuters waiting on the platform as a commuter train arrives in Bridgeport, Ct. Could a commuter rail project finally become a reality between San Antonio and Austin? Area residents should hope that it does. less This file photo shows commuters waiting on the platform as a commuter train arrives in Bridgeport, Ct. Could a commuter rail project finally become a reality between San Antonio and Austin? Area residents ... more Photo: Craig Ruttle /Associated Press Photo: Craig Ruttle /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Rail between Austin and S.A. would be game-changer 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

It’s been talked about for so long, it’s hard to believe rail between San Antonio and Austin will ever be real. But if you are a commuter, policymaker or a fiscal hawk, you should hope the region coalesces around the Lone Star Rail plan.

Commuters who travel on I-35 between fast-growing San Antonio and Austin have likely had plenty of time to wish there were a quick transportation alternative. Plenty of time, we say, because anyone who travels on I-35 regularly knows traffic often moves like molasses. And let’s be honest, that’s a bit harsh about the speed of molasses. Seriously, I-35 is a congested and dangerous parking lot that sometimes moonlights as a highway.

Commuters should be looking at a rail line that would connect San Antonio to Austin with a sense of joy and hope. We all know San Antonio and Austin are only going to get bigger, and even if you don’t ride the LSTAR, at least you can take solace knowing somebody else will. Lone Star Rail district staff have estimated 20,000 people a day would travel between San Antonio and Austin, reducing I-35 traffic by 10 percent.

Policymakers should also rejoice. Rail would further entwine the region’s two most significant economies. It would directly link our airport with the state capital, and our universities with the University of Texas at Austin. Imagine the potential for students from across the region in terms of research or internships, or how rail might attract potential employers and businesses. As we’ve seen in other markets, there is immense economic development along rail lines.

Fiscal hawks should embrace LSTAR because highways are incredibly expensive to expand and maintain. Earlier this year, David Ellis, an analyst and research scientist with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, told us that, on average, highways cost $9.5 million per lane, per mile. That figure does not include right of way or maintenance. It is important to build and maintain highways, but clearly, we can’t continue to solely rely on them to move people around this state.

Now, LSTAR would be an expensive and large project, too. It would run from north of Austin to San Antonio’s South Side. But it’s a project whose cost would be shared across the region — and also covered through private and federal funding. San Antonio would initially provide $500,000 per year with that amount steadily increasing through 2051 to $14.5 million. Bexar County would follow a similar funding model.

Much of those funds would come from property tax revenues through special taxing districts around the rail’s stations. Some would be general funds. But much of what the city and county contributes to the project would be protected in case LSTAR doesn’t hit certain benchmarks.

For decades, the idea of rail between San Antonio and Austin has been as real as an illusion in the hot Texas sun. But there is a general feeling among officials that LSTAR could very well be running within eight years. To help make that happen, the city of San Antonio and Bexar County should provide this initial funding.

The doomed downtown streetcar plan tore this community apart, but commuter rail between San Antonio and Austin is the type of project the entire community should rally around. After all, we all know the pain of sitting in traffic on I-35.