Austin plans rail link to airport

The Austin Transit Partnership has begun planning a new rail link to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

This move shifts the airport connection from a long-term goal to an active project. The current Austin Light Rail system, approved by voters in 2020, is designed to cover 9.8 miles with 15 stations. The network will connect Central, South, and East Austin. Construction on this base system is scheduled to start next year. In 2023, officials scaled back the original Project Connect plans. That reduction removed the anticipated airport connection. The airport extension was previously labeled a future project with no set timeline. On Nov. 10, ATP officials announced that the agency is now formally considering service to the airport.

Mayor Kirk Watson serves on the ATP board. He stated that the update follows several progress markers for the light rail system. Watson wrote in a Nov. 10 newsletter that the airport needs a multimodal transportation system. He noted that an airport rail connection has been part of Austin’s long-term transportation vision for years. ATP officials said the extension will be a mostly elevated structure. The line will run approximately three miles from the Yellow Jacket station. It will end at a station within the expanded airport. The new planning phase will take up to a year. This period includes coordinating with the airport to integrate the rail line with the Journey With AUS expansion program. The program includes a new arrivals and departures hall. A new National Environmental Policy Act process will begin with the Federal Transit Administration. The FTA has agreed to a streamlined review. ATP will also assess costs and timing relative to existing projects. The agency will investigate funding options, including federal support.

The airport confirmed it is working closely with ATP. Spokesman Jim Reynolds said the airport is preserving the necessary right-of-way. He added that design teams are integrating a future rail station into the airport. Reynolds said the goal is to create seamless connections across multiple modes of transportation. ATP officials noted the agency must work with the Texas Department of Transportation. This is to ensure coordinated rail improvements along Highway 71. TxDOT spokesperson Brad Wheelis said the agency works with Austin when local projects overlap with state right-of-way. The FTA did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Watson said he hopes to add the extension under the light rail project's existing budget. He stated that no new taxpayer dollars should be required. Watson called the project critical for supporting economic opportunities. He noted that the airport serves travelers from 21 surrounding counties. He estimated that the airport will contribute more than $13 billion in economic activity in 2026. The light rail system is part of the multibillion-dollar Project Connect initiative. This project was approved with a permanent property tax increase. Legal challenges to the project's financing structure remain in progress. Lawsuits filed by residents and by ATP are currently active. The outlook for similar legislation in 2027 under new state leadership is uncertain.

ATP officials recently voted to spend millions of dollars on downtown office space. Funding for these leases was reduced by tens of millions of dollars from a previous proposal. That earlier proposal was shelved earlier this year. Watson pushed back on the cost of the original office plan. The current first phase of Austin Light Rail is shorter than the system outline presented in 2020. The original plan included an airport connection and below-ground transit hubs. It also featured a downtown subway network and multiple crossings over Lady Bird Lake. The current plan removes those elements. The first phase was expected to end in Montopolis near the planned maintenance yard.