Commuter Rail Brings Slower Transit in Austin

by Wendell Cox 08/30/2010

Commuter rail is often sold to the public as a faster means of travel than buses. This can be true if the drive to the park and ride lot is short and your destination is within walking distance of a station. However, it is apparently not true in Austin.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that bus riders showed up at a Capital Metro hearing this week to oppose cancellation of two express bus routes that parallel the new commuter rail line. Their complaint? Taking the train takes longer.

As has become typical for new urban rail projects, Austin's commuter rail line is carrying considerably fewer riders than projected. During its first month of service, daily ridership averaged 900 (450 each way), less than one-half the projected 2,000. This is less than 1/100th of Capital Metro's daily bus ridership.

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Well it depends upon on the

Submitted by jamholes on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 21:19.

Well it depends upon on the situation. If a commuters destination is just near then probably they'll ride a bus but if it's far then they'll take train for a ride. - facebook for photographers

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Really bad conclusions

Submitted by M1EK on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 09:53.

Light rail (urban rail) in low-density Austin-like cities Phoenix and Houston has blown the doors off. What this shows is that saving money by using existing track at the expense of avoiding major activity centers is just as bad an idea in Austin as it was in South Florida (Tri-Rail). The major activity centers here require a shuttle-bus transfer from the commuter rail station - even the one which is nominally 'downtown' (actually a 0.5-0.75 mile walk to most major office buildings).

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This can be true if the

Submitted by dewdrop123 on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 22:28.

This can be true if the drive to the park and ride lot is short and your destination is within walking distance of a station. However, it is apparently not true in Austin.resine d epoxy

Austin doesn't have LRT

Submitted by kduble on Wed, 10/06/2010 - 11:40.

Austin doesn't have light rail. Houston and Dallas have light rail transit (LRT). Austin and Denton have heavy rail; commuter rail. LRT is an electrified system. It doesn't share tracks with anything else. Hence, it can run 24/7. Commuter rail shares existing tracks with freight. Thus it can only operate within contractual time frames.

Austin doesn't have LRT for the same reason Dallas doesn't have third rail subways. In each case, the proposal was initially voted down by the public. Transit planners had to come up with something cheaper.

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