San Antonio promoting light rail, streetcars, BRT

VIA developing 2035 plan

Steve Hawley, Sep 09, 09.

San Antonio’s transit agency, VIA Metropolitan Transit, plans to invest heavily in light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The agency just concluded a series of public meetings designed to educate the public about various transportation options, as well as to solicit input. A final draft of VIA’s 2035 transportation plan will be released in May.

The article notes that to begin with, a starter streetcar system might be implemented in the city center to maximize ridership and popularity. Houston’s METRO pursued a similar strategy when it built the city’s first light rail line in the heavily-traveled corridor connecting Downtown to the Texas Medical Center.

Henry Muñoz, VIA’s chairman, hopes to announce the first streetcar system by the end of the year, although the article reports that the funding source is unclear. VIA has concluded that 16 corridors throughout the city would be viable for streetcars.

(Photo credit: King_of_Hearts, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 license)