Orange Line (Capital Metro)
The Orange Line is a proposed north-south light rail line that will serve the central spine of Austin from North Lamar to Stassney Lane. It is in the planning stages as a part of Capital Metro's Project Connect. It is estimated to begin revenue service as early as 2029.[1][2]
Orange Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | In planning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Austin, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Light rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Capital MetroRail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Planned opening | 2029 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 20 mi (32 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
History
A contract for preliminary engineering work along the line was approved on March 20, 2019.[3] In 2020, the planned route was truncated in length to reduce construction costs, with bus bridges providing connectivity through the rest of the corridor.[4] Potential future phases may extend the line north to Tech Ridge and south to Slaughter as initially envisioned — those alignments are expected to be included in National Environmental Policy Act processing to allow for conversion to light rail in the future.[5]
Route
The Orange Line is 20 miles (32 km) long and will run in its own dedicated transitway, including the Downtown Transit Tunnel, 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 Capital MetroRapid 801 or a similar alignment. It is planned to run along The Drag.[6]
Future extensions to the line would feature stations at Tech Ridge, Parmer, Braker, Rundberg, William Cannon, and Slaughter.
Stations
Stations are listed north to south.[3][7][8]
Station name | Parking | Rail connections | Bus connections | Nearby points of interest |
---|---|---|---|---|
North Lamar Transit Center | Yes | Capital MetroRapid 801 MetroBus 1, 323, 350, 383 |
Anderson Square Shopping Center | |
Crestview | No | Capital MetroRapid 801 MetroBus 1, 7, 300, 324, 350 |
Crestview Station, Midtown Commons, Texas DPS Credit Union, Black Star Co-op | |
Koenig | Capital MetroRapid 801 MetroBus 1, 337 |
Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Highway Patrol, McCallum High School | ||
Triangle | Yes | Capital MetroRapid 801 MetroBus 1, 345, 656, 990 |
Hyde Park, The Triangle, Texas Facilities Commission, UT Intramural Fields, UT Microfarm, The Triangle Park | |
Hyde Park | Capital MetroRapid 801, 803 MetroBus 1, 3, 19, 335 |
Hyde Park, Austin State Hospital, Central Market, Heart Hospital of Austin | ||
Hemphill Park | MetroBus 1, 3, 19, 642 | University of Texas at Austin, Phi Gamma Delta, Scottish Rite Dormitory | ||
UT/West Mall | Capital MetroRapid 801, 803 MetroBus 1, 3, 19, 20, 105, 640, 982, 990 |
University of Texas at Austin, Peter T. Flawn Academic Center, Goldsmith Hall, Sutton Hall, Battle Hall, Parlin Hall, Rainey Hall, Harry Ransom Center | ||
Government Center / Capitol West | Capital MetroRapid 801, 803 MetroBus 1, 3, 19, 20, 105, 985 |
Wooldridge Square Park, Austin Public Library, Travis County Civil Courthouse, Texas State Capitol, Travis County Adult Probation, Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services | ||
Republic Square | Capital MetroRapid 801, 803, Gold Line MetroBus 105, 111, 171, 980, 981, 985 |
City Hall, Republic Square, Sixth Street, Texas State Board of Nursing, United States Federal Court | ||
Auditorium Shores | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1, 7, 20, 142, 935 |
Auditorium Shores, Lady Bird Lake, Long Center for the Performing Arts | ||
SoCo | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1 |
South Congress, Texas School for the Deaf | ||
Oltorf | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1, 300 |
South Congress H-E-B, St. Ignatius Martyr School, William B. Travis High School | ||
St. Edward's | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1 |
Saint Edward's University | ||
South Congress Transit Center | Yes | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1, 310, 315 |
St David's South Hospital, St. Elmo District | |
Stassney | Capital MetroRapid 801, Gold Line MetroBus 1, 311 |
Williamson Creek Greenbelt |
References
- Sanders, Austin (April 26, 2022). "What Kind of Rail Bridge Will Austin Build Across Lady Bird Lake?". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- Ionescu, Diana (July 8, 2022). "A Look at Austin's Proposed Subway Stations". Planetizen. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- Cicale, Nicholas (March 25, 2019). "Capital Metro approves contract for Orange Line preliminary engineering work". Community Impact. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- Willson, Bill (July 23, 2020). "Part of Cap Metro's show-stopping transit plan gets the hook". RT&S. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- Clark-Madison, Mike (September 25, 2020). "From Light Rail to a Downtown Tunnel: The Parts of Project Connect". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- Aleman, Christian (December 9, 2021). "New Austin light-rail project could remove cars from The Drag". KVUE. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- "Metro Project Connect Initial Investment System Plan" (PDF). July 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- Marloff, Sarah (April 12, 2019). "Project Connect Unveils Cap Metro's Orange Line". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 4, 2020.