Austin Texas’ Light Rail Expansion (sort of) //

The recommended route's sticker price comes in between $4.5 billion and $4.8 billion, with possible Phase 1 buildout points to Crestview in the north and the airport to the southeast, depending on costs and available funding.

The Austin Transit Partnership is recommending Austin's initial light rail system runs from 38th Street down south to Oltorf Street, as well as southeast to Yellow Jacket Lane. The 9.8-mile route would feature 15 stations and service an average ridership upwards of 29,000 people per day, if adopted.

But the ATP lost a passenger along the way. Tony Elkins, a transportation finance expert, resigned from the board in April. Now, he's confounded by ATP's choice to back a map that has 25% lower estimated ridership than a rival path: North Lamar to Pleasant Valley.

ATP's recent (May 2023) recommended light-rail plan is a significant detour from the initial promise to voters as due to inflation the price tag skyrocketed to over $10 billion. The new proposal trims major ambitions, including the $2 billion downtown subway that was dangled in front of voters with artist renderings showing underground shopping, dining and live music. At 9.8 miles and 15 new light rail stations, the revised map provides less than half the distance and a starkly reduced estimated ridership (estimated 28,500 riders daily by 2040) compared to the 2020 vision and still with a cost of about $5 billion.

Would love to see this implemented correctly, but I would also love if treated rail projects a little more urgently seeing how I couldn’t find an estimated finished year on this one. #rail #trains #tram #transport #texas #austin