Cap Metro board approves agreement with ATP for reimbursement of McKalla Station capital costs

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors last week approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Austin Transit Partnership for the reimbursement of capital costs for the McKalla Station MetroRail project.

The board approved the resolution at its July 24 meeting, authorizing Capital Metro President and CEO Dottie Watkins to finalize and execute the McKalla Station Capital Interlocal Agreement. The McKalla Station, expected to open later this year, is among a series of stations constructed along the MetroRail’s Red Line as part of Capital Metro’s multibillion-dollar transit initiative Project Connect. The station will serve visitors to Q2 Stadium, which is the home of the city’s professional soccer team, Austin FC.

Jacob Calhoun, Capital Metro’s director of transit system enablement, noted that each party has commitments as part of the agreement. Capital Metro will fund costs related to the planning, development, design, construction and equipping of the McKalla Station project. In turn, Austin Transit Partnership – the entity charged with implementing Project Connect – will reimburse Capital Metro for capital costs of up to $25 million.

The agreement replaces and supersedes the initial funding agreement for the project and will cover costs incurred until September 2024. It can be extended for up to 12 months.

In response to a question from Board Member Chito Vela, Calhoun explained that the agreement focuses specifically on the McKalla Station itself. “But the overall project that includes track, drainage and quiet zones extends from about where the Broadmoor (Station) limits are down towards around Rutland,” Calhoun said.

Vela asked if any portion of the line is slated to be double tracked, referring to a railway designed with a track running in each direction.

“South from the station, between the station and our yard, which is just north of (U.S. Highway) 183, will be double tracked, and there is a little bit that goes north of the station,” Watkins said. “The primary double track is to the south, which will facilitate train movements to and from the yard to support event service.”

She continued, “Obviously, with this being right at the soccer stadium, we took great care to make sure we could move trains in and out easily to be able to facilitate event service.”

“Those 10,000 riders getting on after a game (will) be a tricky wave of passengers to catch,” Vela said. “Looking long term, it would be great to double track all the way down to Crestview. That really opens up the potential for the northwest portion of the Red Line to really serve as a feeder.”

Watkins said that is part of Capital Metro’s long-term plans.

“We have done some studies and identified one additional piece of double tracking north of the station area, as well as double tracking the stations of Crestview and Saltillo, as necessary to be able to get to our goal, which is 15-minute frequencies between the Broadmoor Station and downtown all day,” Watkins said. “And so we’ve got a very long-term plan to get us there, including the recent announcement of federal investment to help us on the Plaza Saltillo side.”

The headline of this story has been changed since publication to clarify the agreement is between CapMetro and Austin Transit Partnership.

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