CapMetro Breaks Ground on New Downtown Station

Two-year project will add capacity to MetroRail service, set stage for Project Connect.

AUSTIN, Texas - CapMetro is set to start construction on MetroRail's new Downtown Station next week. The new station is scheduled to open in the spring of 2021 and will serve as a public gathering space and mobility hub, providing connections between MetroRail and other transportation modes, including other Cap Metro service, B-cycle and Car-2-Go.

The current Downtown Station is the busiest, yet smallest of CapMetro's nine stations. The new station will provide a larger and improved permanent MetroRail station with two platforms, allowing for increased capacity. The new structure will also improve customer amenities with custom canopies, ticketing, seating and digital messaging boards.

The new Downtown Station will be located on 4th St. between Neches St. and Red River St., one block east of the current station. The project was initiated by receipt of a $50 million TxDOT grant in 2014 and the total construction budget is $37 million. Partnerships for the station include the Texas Department of Transportation and city of Austin.

“We are incredibly grateful to our partners at TxDOT and the city of Austin, as well as transit champions like Sen. Watson and Rep. Israel,” said CapMetro Board Chair Wade Cooper. “Building a great public transit network is only made possible through strong relationships and partnerships, and this new station is a major step toward helping ease congestion and creating a more connected region.”

New enhancements to MetroRail, also known as the “Red Line,” are included in Project Connect, a long-term vision plan for public transportation in Central Texas. The plan calls for a comprehensive redevelopment of the area's transit network, and it's being conducted in partnership with other mobility and transportation agencies, including the city of Austin, Travis County, Texas Department of Transportation, Capital Area Rural Transportation System, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and the Federal Transit Administration.