Two passenger rail options emerge for Austin-San Antonio corridor

Officials in the Austin and San Antonio areas say they’ve identified two viable routes for a proposed passenger rail service connecting the two cities. 

A Texas Department of Transportation study suggests improving the existing Union Pacific rail line, while a study commissioned by Travis County calls for laying new tracks alongside the State Highway 130 toll road. 

Amtrak’s Texas Eagle currently connects Austin and San Antonio with one southbound trip and one northbound trip each day, arriving at less-than-ideal times via the Union Pacific tracks. The Austin-to-San Antonio trip departs at 7:22 p.m. and arrives at 10:46 p.m., with the San Antonio-to-Austin trip leaving at 6:48 a.m. and pulling into the Amtrak station off North Lamar Boulevard at 9:16 a.m. 

The TxDOT study says up to eight roundtrips could be scheduled each day after $1.9 billion in upgrades to the Union Pacific tracks, with possible stops along the way in New Braunfels and San Marcos. It’s unclear, though, if Union Pacific is willing to work with the state on such a project, which could potentially interfere with freight operations.  

The Travis County plan would cost an estimated $13.5 billion. Because of its location east of Interstate 35, the State Highway 130 option would not be capable of offering the opportunity for stops in New Braunfels and San Marcos. 

Travis County Judge Andy Brown said that, ideally, any new rail service should also include at least one stop somewhere in Williamson County, home to several fast-growing cities such as Round Rock, Georgetown, Taylor and Hutto. 

Austin and San Antonio had a combined population of 5.43 million as of 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The combined metropolitan areas are expected to grow by 39 percent by 2050. 

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