Officials: Rail won’t be included in future transit plan for area

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, left, and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talk with reporters in May 2018. Nirenberg and Wolff started a daily briefing Friday to update the public on the coronavirus pandemic. One of the first things they announced was that all playground equipment and basketball courts at city and county parks are now off limits because of continued large gatherings in violation of the parallel city and county stay-at-home orders. less San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, left, and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talk with reporters in May 2018. Nirenberg and Wolff started a daily briefing Friday to update the public on the coronavirus pandemic. ... more Photo: William Luther /San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Officials: Rail won’t be included in future transit plan for area 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Tuesday ruled out any chances of rail being included in the area’s multi-modal transit plan that could go before voters next year.

The city and county’s top elected officials said after a Tricentennial press conference welcoming one of the city’s first babies born on San Antonio’s 300th birthday that rail is an outdated mode of transportation and that the federal government isn’t doling out funding for it as it did two decades ago.

It’s not the first time the leaders have said as much, but they both said it again emphatically on Tuesday because there’s been speculation that rail might still be in the works — and idea perhaps promulgated both by people hopeful that San Antonio would finally get rail and conversely by those who are against it and want to kill an emerging transit proposal.

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San Antonio voters will likely be asked in 2019 to vote on an initial phase of the transit plan, though there’s some question as to whether a public vote is required. Whether there’s a legal need isn’t an issue, Nirenberg said. The public will vote, likely in May 2019, on the plan and a funding source.

Nirenberg said residents from every corner of the city are demanding solutions to congestion, which is supposed to increase significantly in the coming decades as 1 million new residents are expected to move here.

The idea behind Nirenberg’s call for a public vote is to garner a mandate from the public to push forward for futuristic and diverse transit. The plan is expected to include dedicated right of way for set, trackless routes that would be serviced by mass-transit vehicles that can scale up as demand increases, Nirenberg said.

“What’s extraordinary about this situation is we have the chance to use future-proof technology — trackless transit that is scalable to ridership demands, that is cost-effective to cover the expansiveness of our geography, and also, again, is an opportunity to be an adopter of advanced technology,” Nirenberg said.

Wolff said the overall plan would include diverse modes of transit that give residents choice about how they move around town, from buses on dedicated right of way to ride-hailing. He also speculated that bicycles, scooters and even autonomous vehicles could play a role in reducing congestion here.

This is a developing story. Please check back later for more details.