62-407: eBART ( East Contra Costa County BART extension ) is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) branch line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in eastern Contra Costa County , California, United States. The line extends the Yellow Line beyond Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch station . The break of gauge and the use of diesel power makes
124-513: A $ 26 million (equivalent to $ 36.3 million in 2023) contract to West Bay Builders, of Novato , "to build the transfer platform and make some of the necessary rail improvements to begin extending the line to a terminus station at Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch." Construction on the line began in early 2011. Funding for the Pittsburg station was secured in early 2015, and the station opened with
186-470: A $ 50 million grant for the purchase of four new rail cars, which is anticipated to double capacity, and for general improvements to the Downtown MetroRail station. By 2015, CapMetro had taken the first steps in the planning of a permanent downtown station . Although the estimates for cost of the proposed terminal were $ 30–35 million, $ 22 million of this sum came directly from
248-548: A Texas Department of Transportation grant awarded to CapMetro in 2014. Proponents of the station asserted that it will not only alleviate the congestion problems associated with the current downtown MetroRail terminal, but also serve as a cultural hub wherein future residents and visitors can easily access many current and potential amenities, including but not limited, to additional transit systems, shopping, and recreational activities. The new permanent Downtown station opened on October 19, 2020. CapMetro continued planning for
310-724: A dedicated transitway, which will allow it to bypass the traffic that plagues the corridor it follows. The Orange Line will operate from North Lamar Transit Center to Stassney & Congress, and will follow the current route of the 801 or a similar alignment. The stations will be North Lamar Transit Center, Crestview (where a transfer to the Red Line will be possible), Koenig, Triangle, Hyde Park (38th), Hemphill Park (29th), UT West Mall (24th), Capitol West, Government Center, Republic Square, Auditorium Shores, SoCo, Oltorf, St. Edward's, South Congress Transit Center, and Stassney. A potential future extension north to Tech Ridge and south to Slaughter
372-454: A light rail network running between neighborhoods of Austin's urban core. After the failure of the system proposed in 2000, by 2014 CapMetro had settled on a new, more easterly proposed routing: 9.5 miles through South Austin along Riverside, through Downtown and UT along Trinity and San Jacinto, and north along Red River and Airport to ACC Highland. In November 2014, when asked to approve $ 600 million in bonds to be repaid by property taxes to fund
434-539: A light rail system, but like commuter rail, they are typically powered by diesel engines over tracks which may be shared with freight trains (which typically only operate overnight, when passenger service has stopped). Unlike most commuter rail systems which only operate during the weekday peak travel periods, hybrid rail systems operate all-day, every day, but typically at longer headways than light rail. The following table lists entirely new light rail, streetcar, or hybrid rail systems under construction. Systems that are in
496-668: A new American light rail vehicle was a technical failure. After World War II, the Germans retained their streetcar (Straßenbahn) networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahn ). The renaissance of light rail in the United States began in 1981, when the first truly second-generation light rail system was inaugurated in the United States, the San Diego Trolley in California, which adopted use of
558-542: A new station along the Red Line, at McKalla (adjacent to the Austin FC soccer stadium ). A second station is proposed for Broadmoor ( The Domain ). When completed these would replace the existing Kramer station. In September 2008, CapMetro evaluated the need for rail service to alleviate pressure from congestion downtown to Colony Park, with a potential extension to Elgin . To fix this problem, CapMetro decided to plan for adding another rail line to their service, or
620-468: A passenger rail system at the height of the 1970s energy crisis . When voters approved CapMetro's creation in 1985, the agency was seen not only as the new operator of local bus services but as the developer of a future passenger rail as well. The next year, CapMetro partnered with the City of Austin to purchase the 162-mile (261 km) Giddings -to- Llano Austin and Northwestern Railroad (A&NW) from
682-533: A regular schedule Friday and Saturday starting March 23, 2012. In addition to the normal Friday schedule, trains will run hourly from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am and every 35 minutes from 4:00 pm to 12:00 am on Saturday. Before beginning the regularly scheduled Friday and Saturday service CapMetro ran weekend service for special events, such as the SXSW festival. Currently, the CapMetro Rail system consists only of
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#1732776761862744-625: A single diesel-fueled commuter rail line which would use the A&;NW track between Downtown and Leander. The corridor was chosen for the first line after CapMetro's Board identified the following areas as probable areas for future growth: the Highland Mall area, the master-planned Mueller Community redevelopment project, as well as the central business district, extending from the University of Texas at Austin to Lady Bird Lake . MetroRail
806-653: A total of 53 operational light rail-type lines and systems (noting that some cities, such as Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle, have more than one light rail system) that offer regular year-round transit service in the United States: 26 modern light rail systems, 14 modern streetcar systems, and 13 heritage streetcar systems (including the San Francisco cable car system ). The first-generation legacy systems are typically vestigial elements of sprawling streetcar systems that were decommissioned from
868-495: A trolley pole system of collecting current by American inventor Frank J. Sprague who installed the first successful electrified trolley system in Richmond, Virginia in 1888. They became popular because roads were then poorly surfaced, and before the invention of the internal combustion engine and the advent of motor-buses, they were the only practical means of public transport around cities. The streetcar systems constructed in
930-604: Is a planned 9.5-mile (15.3 km) bus rapid transit line that would operate from Austin Community College 's Highland campus to the South Congress Transit Center park-and-ride, and will travel on Airport, Red River, San Jacinto/Trinity, 7th/8th, Neches/Red River, 4th, Riverside, and South Congress. Stations will be ACC Highland, Clarkson, Hancock, St. David's, UT East, Medical School, Capitol East, Trinity, Downtown Station (where transfer to
992-454: Is being considered. The new stations would be at Tech Ridge, Parmer, Braker, Rundberg, William Cannon, and Slaughter. In 2020, the planned route was truncated in length to reduce construction costs, with bus bridges providing connectivity through the rest of the corridor. The Blue Line is a planned 15-mile (24 km) light rail line that will operate from North Lamar Transit Center to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport . It will follow
1054-553: The Austin Convention Center in Downtown Austin . The line also passes through Cedar Park , northwest Austin, north-central Austin, and east Austin. The annual cost to operate the Red Line is $ 14.3 million. On January 18, 2011, CapMetro added 13 additional midday trains to the previously limited schedule, as well as increased runs during peak hours. Additionally, the organization will run trains on
1116-507: The City of Austin following a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan intended to encourage the use of public transportation by developing mixed-use residential and commercial areas around the stations. Frequencies are expected to improve to 15 minutes after double tracking is completed between Lakeline and Leander. The following Red Line stations are listed north to south: Though trains are available past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays,
1178-706: The Greater Austin area in Texas and is owned by CapMetro , Austin's primary public transportation provider. The Red Line is CapMetro's first and currently only rail line, and connects Downtown Austin with Austin's northwestern suburbs. The line operates on 32 miles (51 km) of existing freight tracks, and serves 10 stations. After a series of delays, CapMetro Rail was inaugurated in March 2010. CapMetro added Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening regularly scheduled service on March 23, 2012. In 2023,
1240-538: The Project Connect plan. Construction of the Orange and Blue light rail lines would bring rail service to the western half of Downtown, the University of Texas at Austin , and the city's airport . The Green Line would operate similarly to the Red Line, operating on existing freight tracks between Austin, Manor , and Elgin . Advocates of modern urban rail began calling on the city of Austin to develop
1302-653: The Red Line , which is alternately designated as Route 550 on internal CapMetro documents. Its northern terminus is the Leander Station and Park & Ride and the southern terminus is the Downtown (Convention Center) Station. Each station features an accessible platform with varying canopy designs, ticket vending machines (TVM), bike racks, and informational displays. Its nine stations were constructed largely along existing freight rail tracks in cooperation with
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#17327767618621364-747: The San Diego Trolley , which ushered in several systems that generally feature large multi-car trains that travel larger distances, and make fewer stops, on exclusive rights-of-way. These systems were inspired by the German Stadtbahn (English: city rail) systems. The modern streetcar era started in 2001 with the Portland Streetcar , which inspired several other systems that generally feature smaller single-car trains that travel on short routes, with frequent stops, in lanes that are shared with automobile traffic (street running). There are also some heritage streetcar lines, which operate in
1426-582: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company with the express purpose of someday operating passenger rail on it. The purchase price was $ 9.3 million, of which $ 6 million came from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration , $ 0.6 million came from the City of Austin and $ 2.7 million came from CapMetro. On May 20, 1998, CapMetro acquired the City of Austin's share in
1488-587: The "first-generation" legacy systems, the "second-generation" modern light rail systems, streetcars, and hybrid rail systems (light rail with some commuter rail features). All of the systems use similar technologies, and some systems blur the lines between the different forms. The United States, with its 27 systems (as counted by the Light Rail Transit Association ), has a much larger number of "true" light rail systems (not including streetcar systems), by far, compared to any other country in
1550-473: The 1950s onward through approximately 1970 as automobile usage increased. These systems were spared that fate due to these systems having high ridership and typically some form of exclusive right of way. Many of these streetcar systems have been at least partly upgraded to more closely resemble the more modern second-generation light rail systems, while some continue to operate with few changes The second-generation of modern light rail systems began in 1981 with
1612-507: The 19th and early 20th centuries typically only ran in single-car setups. Some rail lines experimented with multiple unit configurations, where streetcars were joined to make short trains, but this did not become common until later. When lines were built over longer distances (typically with a single track) before good roads were common, they were generally called interurban streetcars or radial railways in North America. Historically,
1674-432: The 2014 east-of-downtown route, a Green Line along CapMetro-owned freight tracks to Manor and Elgin and new bus park-and-rides throughout the city rounded out the plan to sway voters beyond the reach of the planned light rail. Voters ultimately approved, by 58%, the increase in property taxes proposed to help fund the system. After voter approval, the engineering and design of the light rail system continued. By 2022,
1736-524: The A&NW's right-of-way through Austin from a station at Howard Lane south to another at the Lamar / Airport intersection , then followed Lamar south to Guadalupe Street, and finally run along Guadalupe to serve the university and Downtown. Future phases would have extended passenger rail service along the entire A&NW right-of-way between Downtown and a Leander station , plus new tracks along South Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive. The 2000 proposal
1798-563: The CapMetro service area to secure funding. CapMetro's All Systems Go Plan includes a study into potential future service. Below are a few expansions which are either in the planning process or otherwise being actively considered. Construction was recently completed on a new passing siding between Park St. and Discovery Blvd. along the northernmost portion of the Red Line in Leander. This siding, along with various other improvements, will allow
1860-628: The German Siemens-Duewag U2 light rail vehicle. (This was just three years after the first North American second-generation light rail system opened in the Canadian city of Edmonton , Alberta in 1978, and which used the same German Siemens-Duewag U2 vehicles as San Diego). Other North American cities, particularly on the West Coast, began planning their own light rail systems in the 1980s. As of March 2020 , there are
1922-703: The Green Line. The Green Line would operate with similar service characteristics as the Red Line, as it would also run on existing freight tracks with schedule adjustments made to allow for passenger rail service. Trains would depart the Red Line and begin to head east in between the Red Line stations MLK Jr. and Plaza Saltillo, where the first stop would be Pleasant Valley; more new stations will be at Springdale, East US 183, Loyola/Johnny Morris, and Colony Park. A potential future extension beyond Colony Park with new stations at Wildhorse, Manor, and Elgin . The Green Line will be built from Downtown to Colony Park first, with
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1984-526: The MetroRail Red Line. These new trains expanded the fleet from 6 to 10 units, and allowed CapMetro to increase the frequency of the Red Line. The new trains feature a slightly tweaked paint scheme (to better match the MetroBus paint scheme), LED destination displays instead of the flip-dot displays found on the older units, and an updated engine car design that features a rounded top rather than
2046-602: The November 2020 ballot proposition, bringing the total estimated cost of Project Connect to $ 7.1 billion, of which $ 5.8 billion would pay for the 20-mile light rail system. An east-west Blue Line running along Riverside to the airport was planned to connect with the Orange Line downtown, where both would run through a 1.6 mile tunnel expected to provide improved speed, reliability, and capacity compared to an on-street line. A Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit line reusing
2108-670: The Orange Line's route from North Lamar Transit Center to Republic Square, and will follow the current route of MetroBus route 20 or a similar alignment to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport. New stations will be North Lamar Transit Center, Crestview (where a transfer to the Red Line will be possible), Koenig, Triangle, Hyde Park (38th), Hemphill Park (29th), UT West Mall (24th), Capitol West, Government Center, Republic Square, Downtown Station, Macc/Rainey, Waterfront, Travis Heights, Lakeshore, Riverside, Faro, Montopolis, Metrocenter, and Austin–Bergstrom International Airport. The Gold Line
2170-410: The Red Line to run 15-minute frequencies for the first time in its history, more than doubling the current maximum frequency of ~37 minutes. Construction on the siding was completed in November 2022. CapMetro has plans to build a new rail line along the abandoned MoKan railway line, which is owned by TxDOT, to Georgetown, Round Rock, and Pflugerville. As part of Project Connect , CapMetro has built
2232-556: The Red, Green, or Blue Lines will be possible), Republic Square, Auditorium Shores, SoCo (South Congress), Oltorf, St. Edward's, and South Congress Transit Center. The Gold Line was changed to light rail in May 2020, citing a demographic that showed an increased projected ridership along the gold line that prompted its conversion to light rail. In July 2020, planning for the line was reverted to bus service to lower construction costs in response to
2294-724: The agency has two options to procure six more sets. The Stadler GTW trains are diesel multiple units with 2/6 articulated power units, and are based on models previously used in Austin ( Capital MetroRail ), Denton ( A-train ), and New Jersey ( River Line ). Hybrid rail Light rail is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and are capable of operating in mixed traffic ( street running ) or on routes that are not entirely grade-separated. Systems typically take one of four forms:
2356-524: The angled top found on the older units. The units originally purchased in 2005 are numbered 101–106 and the newer units purchased in 2014 are numbered 201–204. The vehicles have a capacity of 200 passengers, 108 seated and 92 standing. The trains have priority seating areas (fully ADA compliant) for wheelchair users. A "VIP section" with room for laptop use with Internet access is also included. Bike racks, luggage racks, high back racks, and low floor entry for easy access are all features of what CapMetro calls
2418-427: The commencement of operations. Revenue service began on May 26, 2018. The new stations reached 7,441 daily customer entrances and exits within the first three workdays, while ridership and parking levels at the previous terminal, Pittsburg/Bay Point, declined. Its design and operation, the result of several compromises, were criticized by Streetsblog . While not fully planned or funded as of 2018, further expansion of
2480-485: The cost estimate to fully implement the original Project Connect plan had increased to $ 10.3 billion due to increased property acquisition prices, inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and scope changes to the original design. In particular, flood mitigation concerns, a Capitol View Corridor , and community engagement had combined to double the downtown tunnel's length to 4.2 miles. The most recent version of
2542-548: The eBART system separate from and incompatible with the main BART rapid transit system. Passengers make a cross-platform transfer at an auxiliary island platform 0.6 miles east of Pittsburg/Bay Point station. From this platform, the extension proceeds 9.1 miles (14.6 km) east in the State Route 4 median to the city of Antioch at a Hillcrest Avenue station . The American Public Transportation Association classifies
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2604-612: The extension to Elgin considered at a later time. In December 2008, a presentation, and then a follow-up, were given to the CAMPO Transit Work Group about the Green Line. In May 2018, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 to move forward with a viability study of the Green Line. A contract was approved for the Orange Line on March 20, 2019. The Orange Line is a planned 20-mile (32 km) light rail line that will run in
2666-466: The federal government. However, CapMetro never officially sought the federal money and revealed in 2010 it has spent $ 105 million on the system's construction, not $ 90 million as originally suggested. Additionally, the original 2008 launch date for CapMetro Rail was postponed two years due to multiple safety and construction issues. Service on CapMetro Rail finally began on March 22, 2010. On June 26, 2014, TxDOT awarded CapMetro with
2728-541: The last train leaving downtown Monday through Thursday is at 7:20 pm. In September 2005, Stadler Rail won a bid to build six Stadler GTW diesel-electric light regional railcars for the system. Each of the vehicle's capital costs is about $ 6 million, and they run on two 375-kilowatt (503 hp) diesel–electric traction generators for 750 kilowatts (1,010 hp) total. They are 9 feet 8 inches (2.95 m) wide and 134 feet (41 m) long. In 2017, CapMetro received 4 new GTW trainsets from Stadler for
2790-892: The line could bring eBART service to Oakley , Byron , or the Brentwood Transit Center in Brentwood . In 2017, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission indicated that eBART could be extended to Tracy , where it would connect with the Altamont Corridor Express and the proposed Valley Link line. All eBART stations are in Contra Costa County . Trains servicing the line include eight Stadler GTW coupled pairs. The first were delivered in June 2016, and
2852-418: The line had a ridership of 485,400, or about 1,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Several proposals to construct new tracks running through the densest areas of the city have been put forward over the years. Austin voters chose not to commit funds towards the construction of a light rail system in 2000 and 2014 but did do so in 2020. Since then, CapMetro has been planning new rail lines as part of
2914-413: The mid-19th century onwards, horse-drawn trams (or horsecars) were used in cities around the world. The St. Charles Avenue Line of New Orleans' streetcar system is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, beginning operation as a horse-drawn system in 1835. From the late 1880s onwards, electrically powered street railways became technically feasible following the invention of
2976-504: The old and new systems. In the United States, most of the original first-generation streetcar systems were decommissioned from the 1950s onward through approximately 1970 as the usage of the automobile increased through government policy. Although a few traditional streetcar or trolley systems still exist to this day the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system. Modern light rail technology has primarily German origins, since an attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce
3038-608: The other city in North America with a continuing first-generation streetcar system. Additionally, a seventh American city, Cleveland, maintained an interurban system (e.g. the Blue and Green Lines) equivalent to what is now "light rail", that opened before World War I , and which is still in operation to this day. When several of these cities upgraded to new technology (e.g. San Francisco, Newark, and Pittsburgh), they called it "light rail" to differentiate it from their existing streetcar systems since some continued to operate portions of both
3100-604: The planning stages but not yet under construction (e.g. Glassboro–Camden Line , Interborough Express , and the Austin CapMetro Rail Project Connect system), are not listed; expansions of existing systems are also not listed here. Other transit in the United States: Capital MetroRail CapMetro Rail is a hybrid rail (light rail with some features similar to commuter rail) system that serves
3162-530: The process of widening the adjacent freeway, by laying tracks in its median . Construction of the Railroad Avenue station in Pittsburg had been uncertain as planning and construction progressed but was fully funded by the city to open with the rest of the extension. Ridership was initially projected at 5600 entrances and exits per weekday (supposing an opening date of 2015). A sales tax increase
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#17327767618623224-540: The project, approved by the Austin City Council in June 2023, no longer includes a downtown tunnel after it was eliminated to reduce costs down to $ 4.5 billion and advance the project more quickly. Trains will initially run along 9.8 miles of dedicated street lanes, with the full system to be constructed once additional funds are available. The CapMetro Rail system currently consists of the Red Line, 32 miles (51 km) of track that connects Leander and
3286-754: The rail gauge has had considerable variations, with a variety of gauges common in many early systems (e.g. the broad Pennsylvania trolley gauge , etc. used by New Orleans' streetcars and by the light rail systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). However, most modern second-generation light rail systems now operate on standard gauge rail. After World War II , six major cities in the United States (Boston, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco) continued to operate large first-generation streetcar systems, although most of them were later converted to modern light rail standards. Toronto in Canada marks
3348-610: The railroad for $ 1 million. During the 1990s, CapMetro faced persistent bad publicity that resulted from dysfunctional management and poor accountability. After years of inaction on passenger rail, the Texas Legislature in 1997 stepped in and ordered the public transport provider to hold a referendum on light rail. In response, CapMetro drew up an ambitious plan for a $ 1.9 billion, 52-mile (84 km) system to be funded by federal funds and local sales taxes. The 2000 proposal's 14-mile "starter segment" would have used
3410-477: The safest and most technologically advanced trains in North America. Internet access is provided via 3G cellular-based service. CapMetro is currently researching upgrading access to 4G but is dependent on the carrier offering a commercial-grade product that will work with CapMetro's devices. For safety, the vehicles have ten cameras outside and six inside, as well as a sophisticated communications system. Any potential expansion would require another referendum in
3472-482: The same manner using vintage vehicles or historic vehicle replicas, which have been built before and after the modern streetcar movement. Hybrid rail systems, routes operating on the national rail network which do not operate with commuter rail characteristics, were introduced in 2004 with New Jersey's River Line. Hybrid rail systems operate vehicles which do not meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidelines, usually (but not always) small multiple unit railcars like
3534-551: The service as commuter rail . The BART map treats this service and the service using standard BART trains as a single line, dubbed the Yellow Line . Initial plans had trains running on the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way that runs parallel to State Route 4. After Union Pacific declined to grant trackage rights or allow laying of new tracks, the line was merged with a construction project already in
3596-452: The system, Austin-area voters again rejected light rail, with only 43% voting in favor. The third light rail proposal drafted by CapMetro and submitted to voters was far more elaborate than the first two. Planners returned to a core concept of the 2000 proposal: a north-south line running west of UT and Downtown along Lamar and Guadalupe, then along South Congress Avenue south of Downtown. However, numerous other elements were also included in
3658-515: The world (the next largest are Germany with 10 and Japan with 9). According to the American Public Transportation Association , of the roughly 30 cities with light rail systems in the United States, the light rail systems in six of them ( Boston , Los Angeles , Philadelphia , Portland (Oregon) , San Diego , and San Francisco ) achieve more than 30 million unlinked passenger transits per year . From
3720-453: Was approved by Contra Costa voters in 2004 in order to fund the expansion. The expansion was approved by the BART board in April 2009. Costs were set at $ 463 million (equivalent to $ 658 million in 2023), compared to an estimated $ 1.2 billion (equivalent to $ 1.7 billion in 2023) for full BART buildout. On October 14, 2010, BART issued a press release announcing that the agency had awarded
3782-518: Was narrowly defeated by 2,000 votes, receiving support from 49.6% of voters; most of central Austin voted in favor whereas suburban and exurban areas within the service area voted against. CapMetro came back in 2004 with a significantly scaled-down version of its 2000 plan that it hoped voters in Travis County and Williamson County would find more palatable. Rather than a comprehensive network of electric light rail vehicles, CapMetro proposed
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#17327767618623844-563: Was presented to voters as part of the All Systems Go Long-Range Transit Plan, which also included expanded local and express bus service. The 2004 version was approved by 62% of voters in the service area. The organization at the time said they could have the system built by 2008 for a cost of $ 60 million, and borrow $ 30 million for six train cars to be paid back over a period of years. About $ 30 million of that cost, they said, would come from
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