Overview
- TxDOT’s statewide multimodal plan frames new transit options beyond highways to prepare for projected 40% population growth by 2050.
- The draft identifies the Austin–San Antonio corridor as the highest weekly travel market in the Texas Triangle, positioning it for potential passenger or commuter rail.
- A TxDOT study due by year-end will present options to speed passenger service on a Union Pacific–owned line linking the two cities.
- Travis and Bexar counties authorized a separate study of using the SH130 right-of-way for a rail link, with findings expected in March.
- Local officials are pushing county partnerships as planners weigh costs from millions to billions, integration with bus networks, and the absence of funding commitments, with Amtrak remaining the only major statewide passenger rail today.