SA moving forward with transit project to Austin

Rail line with 16 stops

Marci Gilbert, Feb 12, 11.

San Antonio officials will continue to pursue a passenger rail line that one day could connect the Alamo City to Austin, a transit project that’s already been in the works for more than a decade, according to a story in the San Antonio Express News:

The city’s endorsement last Wednesday of the Lone Star Rail District initiative came on the heels of the Obama administration’s announcement that it will support a $53 billion high-speed rail initiative over the next five years, the most money committed to rail in over a generation.

But it likely will be several years of planning and negotiations — including relocating an existing Union Pacific Railroad freight line at a cost of $1.7 billion — before anyone will be able to ride on the proposed rail line, called LSTAR.

“It’s clear that investment in rail infrastructure is a high priority for the administration and this presents a great opportunity for San Antonio, San Marcos and Austin to pursue funds for the Lone Star Rail,” said Mayor Julián Castro, who was in Washington earlier this week to lobby for $238 million in local transportation projects, including bus rapid transit and a streetcar system.

The proposed LSTAR line would stretch along Interstate 35 from Georgetown to San Antonio, with 16 proposed stations along the way. Five of those possible stations are in San Antonio.

Once completed, commuters could zip between the downtowns of San Antonio and Austin in 75 minutes or less.

Source: San Antonio Express News