Austin's Light Rail: Project Connect shows off updated plans

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin residents were given an updated look at the future of Austin’s Light Rail system.

It's part of the Project Connect transit plan.

What is the Austin Light Rail?

The backstory:

The new transit option is a part of Project Connect, expanding routes across the city. It was approved by voters in 2020 and has been praised by many while receiving some backlash from others.

The street level train will span 9.8 miles and has 15 stations. It is currently in phase one, set to start construction in the next two years.

"It's a big project, and it's a big change, and it's a big investment. And so I think it's reasonable to be like, you know, this is a lot of our money and have thoughts about how that should be spent. But I do think that making areas of the town more accessible via trains, it will be better for our entire community," says Austin resident Kevin Halladay-Glynn.

What they're saying:

"It's super exciting. I mean, with these kinds of projects, it's always a ways away. So, I want to get hyped about it, but it's going to be a while until we actually get to ride it. So, I just hope that it continues to move forward," says Austin resident Kevin Halladay-Glynn.

"People are really excited that they can come look at maps that are specific and block by block and find their house or find other places that they're interested in and see what the light rail would be like," says ATP spokesperson Jennifer Pyne.

Why you should care:

Austin Transit Partnership says the feedback from the meetings will be used in the environmental impact statement for the light rail to receive federal funding.

"We encourage everybody to come out and learn more. If there are questions or there are concerns, we'd really like to talk to folks about that. There may be answers to their questions or there might be more work that we need to do to make sure that concerns are addressed," says Pyne.

"We have the commuter rail now and that is like limited in how far it goes and what it connects. But I still use it and I think it's really helpful. Same thing with the bike. Like the bike trails, you know, a limited number of them, but they're helpful and people use them," says Halladay- Glynn.

"That is a comprehensive analysis of really so many resource topics, what it means to introduce light rail to Austin on the natural environment, on neighborhoods," says Pyne.