Austin, Texas: City's Urban Rail Plan Needs Major Overhaul The new MetroRail system of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro, or CMTA) was officially launched on on 22 March 2010. More...





Austin's Capital MetroRail Returns Rail Transit to Central Texas The new MetroRail system of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro, or CMTA) was officially launched on on 22 March 2010. More...





US Federal Railroad Administration takes aim ... at light rail In a policy initiative that has emerged most recently with respect to Capital Metro's light railway project in Austin, Texas, the FRA is seems to be insisting that, in most cases, these types of rail projects are not light railways, but must be considered "commuter railroads", and therefore must comform with full requirements for "heavy" railroad operations. More...





State of Texas to Austin transit: Get lost Texas Governor Rick Perry's State Preservation Board evicts Capital Metro transit service from its busy Capitol Transit Center stop at the Capitol grounds. More...





Austin: Rail transit project passes major milestone with completion of first railcar Central Texas's first rail transit project, a 32-mile non-electrified light regional railway now being installed, passed a major milestone with the completed assembly of the system's first "urban commuter rail" car. More...





Austin: Rail referendum passes Voters in the Capital Metro service area of Austin, Texas "resoundingly" approved the agency's referendum to bring passenger rail service to the region. More...





Austin: Light "Commuter" Railway Proposal Offers Mobility Relief for Congested Northwest Corridor Austin, Texas voters are being asked to approve the one new-start project among the major rail ballot initiatives this electoral season – a relatively low-cost, "foot in the door" approach to rail transit. More...





Austin: Light "commuter" railway plan heads toward Nov. 2nd vote Capital Metro, the Austin area's regional transit authority, has placed on the Nov. 2nd ballot a referendum for a regional "commuter" rail plan. More...





Campaign Continues for Austin Light Rail A majority – 50.6% – of voters within the City of Austin actually voted in favor of Capital Metro's light rail plan in November 2000. Evidence of widespread community support for light rail is fueling a resurgence of the campaign to develop a light rail system in Austin, Texas. More...





Austin Statesman: Light Rail + Roads Needed Light rail supporters have long contended that automobiles, light rail, buses, bicycles, pedestrian access, and other forms of mobility are all part of an integrated mobility system. A front-page Austin American-Statesman report emphasizies that "... a growing body of transportation research concludes that cities cannot concentrate on roads alone as a means of controlling traffic congestion and must work toward a combined approach of better transit – with light rail as an example – as well as expanding highways." More...





Austin's Light Rail: Tough Questions, Sober Answers An interview with Karen Rae, general manager of Austin's Capital Metro transit agency provides some very honest, sober, and realistic answers to some very tough questions on light rail. it's followed by some additional analysis of the traffic congestion issue by Light Rail Progress. More...





Austin: Public Meetings Consider Routes, Costs Capital Metro recently held a series of information Sharing Meetings, focused on route and cost options for the proposed light rail transit/Bus Rapid Transit system. Light Rail Progress supports a basic route plan which optimizes engineering, cost, and ridership for the initial startup system. More...





Austin Light Rail Plan: Support Grows As public support continues to increase for Capital Metro's proposed light rail transit (LRT) system for Austin – including the 14.6-mile starter line from northwest Austin to downtown – the battle for public confidence has also intensified. A special report from Light Rail Progress. More...





Campaign Grows for Light Rail in Austin Austin Texas's first light rail transit (LRT) project is scheduled to be submitted to a popular vote on November 7th ... and the campaign to secure this goal has begun. Supporters say LRT would be a mobility and environmental improvement of truly massive scale for Austin. More...





Light Rail Now! and Walkable Neighborhoods Light Rail Now! and Walkable Neighborhoods is a grassroots organization supporting light rail in Austin. it includes representatives from and members of a wide range of Austin organizations, including taxpayers, conservatives, liberals, moderates, homeowners, renters, students, teachers, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, current transit riders, seniors, transportation activists, businesses, environmentalists, labor unions, trade groups, neighborhood advocates, persons with disabilities, and many others. More...





Light Rail: Real Solution for Austin Traffic Why are buses not a viable alternative to light rail transit (LRT)? How have most new LRT systems been completed on time and within budget? Why does the investment in LRT pay off? Does it remove cars from congested streets and freeways? How has LRT solidly demonstrated its potential for stimulating and shaping adjacent real estate development at its transit stops and stations? These and other essential questions are discussed. More...



