Travis County has approved a rail study to determine the feasibility of developing a commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.
Over the next six months, the engineering firm selected for the study will examine car-alternative passenger rail options between the two cities. The project would notably be built on state-managed land along major highways, interstates and existing rail infrastructure. Ideally, the network would run from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to the Amtrak Station in San Antonio.
The study will be conducted over the next 175 days, covering project management, engineering, visibility estimates and a summary report. Currently, the proposed line would span approximately 90 miles, running along downtown Austin, east to Highway 71, south down SH and looping back west to Interstate 10 in San Antonio. County officials are working toward potentially building the rail line before ongoing reconstruction on the I-35 corridor is completed to relieve congestion.
The decision to connect Austin and San Antonio is representative of the region as one of the fastest growing places in America. Local leaders have vouched for the potential rail line as a necessity to meet the needs of the residential population, projected to exceed 8 million over the next 25 years.
The Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee – founded in 2024 – was created to advocate for and advise investments in passenger expansion and played an essential role in kickstarting the study. The committee noted that the Austin-San Antonio corridor has increased its GDP by $125.1 billion over the past five years and is projected to continue growing at a similar rate.
A passenger rail system would provide essential support for a rapidly developing workforce, enhancing residents’ capacity to overcome common hurdles such as affordability, housing and transportation. These challenges have typically reduced the options both residents and companies have available to spur development and economic growth.
The proposed rail line would complement the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) study to potentially expand transit options along a 45-mile section of I-35. Some of the preliminary alternatives for the study include:
- Passenger rail lines.
- General purpose lanes.
- HOV lanes.
- Truck-only lanes.
- Commuter lanes.
- Combinations of lane types.
Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, from Wikimedia Commons
