Capital Metro’s newest high-frequency bus routes have been delayed, and now the transit agency says the Expo Center and Pleasant Valley routes will launch next year with reduced frequency and diesel-powered buses instead of the promised electric ones. The delays are pushing back the timeline for other planned CapMetro Rapid (formerly MetroRapid) routes, including those serving Oak Hill, […]
Transit
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San Antonio, Travis County and Mexico officials urge Legislature to fund passenger rail next session
Monday morning saw a bevy of local – and international – officials come together on one issue that unites all who must traverse Texas: its nightmarish traffic. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and San Antonio City Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda rode an Amtrak train to Austin along with Emmanuel Loo, deputy secretary of economic […]
Posted inTransportation
Cap Metro stops shift to all-electric bus fleet
Capital Metro is slamming the brakes on an ambitious goal of transitioning to an all-electric bus fleet, citing problems with the range of battery-electric buses. Austin voters were promised a transit system with exclusively electric vehicles when they authorized a tax increase in 2020 to fund Project Connect, the largest transit expansion in the city’s […]
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Project Connect lawsuit likely headed to appeal before trial
The Project Connect lawsuit expected to go to trial Monday appears destined for appeal instead. Assistant Attorney General Alyssa Bixby-Lawson, whose office opposes efforts by the city of Austin and the Austin Transit Partnership to validate voter-approved bonds for constructing Project Connect, has indicated that the attorney general’s office will not move forward with the […]
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Project Connect lawsuit finally headed to court Monday
Although the matter has been postponed in the past, it seems likely that Monday will be the trial date for the Austin Transit Partnership and the city of Austin lawsuit to validate voter-approved bonds for Project Connect, combined with the Dirty Martin’s lawsuit to prevent issuance of those bonds. The other important player on this […]
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Transit, housing initiatives highlight accessibility concerns for disabled community
Advocates for disabled people in Austin want to ensure upcoming major changes to the local transportation network and housing market don’t exclude those with physical, visual or hearing impairments. A discussion on Tuesday at the Austin office of the advocacy group ADAPT of Texas brought together leaders attached to the Project Connect mass transit plan […]
Posted inCourts
Lawsuit over bonds that would pay for Project Connect is taking a longer route
Although lawyers for the city of Austin and the Austin Transit Partnership were looking for a way to validate bonds needed to build Project Connect, the city’s proposed rail system, they have run into opposition from the Texas attorney general’s office as well as individual citizens opposing ATP’s plans. In addition to pushback from Attorney […]
Posted inTransit
Legal showdown threatens to end Austin’s light-rail plans
Austin’s voter-backed transit expansion faced a critical legal test Wednesday inside a courtroom on Guadalupe Street. Seated in front of a marble wall and flanked by Texas and U.S. flags, Travis County Judge Eric Shepperd presided as attorneys in dark suits clashed over the intricacies of state law and public finance. At issue is whether […]
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New Cap Metro train station opens at Q2 Stadium as ‘quiet zones’ take effect
Editors note: Since this story published, Capital Metro’s operations chief, Andy Skabowski, said he was mistaken about when quiet zones would take effect. In an interview with KUT, Skabowski apologized for his statements and clarified the quiet zone would start in six to eight weeks. Q2 Stadium – home of the Major League Soccer club Austin FC […]
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Dirty Martin’s would be spared under new concept for light rail
A 98-year-old hamburger restaurant wouldn’t be flipped off the map to make space for Austin’s new light-rail system under conceptual plans revealed by the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the local government corporation building the 10-mile transit system. But the owner of Dirty Martin’s Place, established in 1926, isn’t toasting buns in celebration just yet. “There was […]
Posted inPlanning
Council takes next step toward new density bonus plan along rail line
City Council last week approved a resolution designed to increase Austin’s chances of winning federal money to assist in building the first phase of Project Connect with an emphasis on development of housing for low- and middle-income residents along the rail line. In addition, the resolution directs staff to modify downtown parking regulations and amend […]
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Fresh details on Austin’s light-rail plans emerge as officials chase federal cash
Lee esta historia en español Austinites curious about the city’s light-rail future are being offered fresh details as the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) launches an in-depth environmental review in a bid to qualify for billions in federal cash. The new information on the electrically powered 9.8-mile system isn’t nearly as revealing as the block-by-block maps and subway […]