Austin Transit Partnership Announces Progress on Austin Light Rail
Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) has announced significant progress on the Austin Light Rail project. It is now set to host a series of public meetings to share updates with the community.
Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) has announced significant progress on the Austin Light Rail project. It is now set to host a series of public meetings to share updates with the community.
As the organisation responsible for implementing Austin’s first light rail system, ATP is committed to transforming how residents navigate the city with an efficient, sustainable, and accessible transit solution.
The nearly 10-mile, all-electric light rail system will feature 15 stations, running every 5–10 minutes through central Austin. The route will connect key job centres, educational institutions, and iconic destinations, while seamlessly integrating with bike lanes, bus routes, urban trails, sidewalks, and park-and-ride facilities.
The project aims to reduce travel times, improve reliability, and provide a modern transit option that bypasses traffic congestion.
Key route details include:
- North-to-South Connection: Running in-street along Guadalupe from 38th Street to downtown
- East-to-South Expansion: Extending from downtown along East Riverside and South Congress to Oltorf
ATP is now inviting the public to participate in four community meetings this month to review the project’s progress, interact with ATP staff, and provide feedback.
During these meetings, ATP will present its design recommendations, including:
- Urban Greenway: A shaded pedestrian and bike path along East Riverside, addressing mobility and equity in an underserved area
- Elevated Infrastructure: Raising the Waterfront Station and extending the light rail bridge for improved traffic flow and system reliability
- Optimised Station Locations: Relocating the Faro Station closer to Grove Boulevard to serve the ACC Riverside campus and nearby affordable housing developments
- Downtown Access: Adding a new Wooldridge Square station to enhance connectivity throughout downtown
To deliver this project, ATP has reached key milestones in the federal funding process, including the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on 10 January. This document, required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), outlines the environmental and community impacts of the project.
ATP is also advancing its procurement efforts to prepare for construction. In December, AECOM Technical Services, Inc. was selected as the Delivery Partner, providing professional services for the final design, construction, and launch phases.
This month, ATP will initiate contracts valued at over 4 billion USD to move the project closer to breaking ground.
“ATP has made significant design progress on Austin Light Rail, which will transform how we move around our city as well as bring thousands of jobs to Texas. Our goal in these meetings is to highlight where we are with our work as we move closer to construction. We’re excited to offer another opportunity for the community to ask questions and provide input that will continue to inform our work.”
The public meetings will take place as follows:
- 16 January at Lively Middle School, 4:30–7:30 pm
- 22 January at Baker Center, 4:30–7:30 pm
- 25 January at Montopolis Recreation Center, 2:30–5:30 pm
- 28 January at University of Texas at Austin, Texas Union Building Quadrangle Room 1–4 pm
