North - Northwest Austin Edition | March 2024

Capital Metro’s triumph for transit, soccer fans faces challenges From the cover

Two-minute impact

Leander

The North Burnet area has seen expansive growth in recent years with the addition of several multistory developments, new restaurants and now McKalla Station.

McKalla is the newest addition to CapMetro’s Red Line, which began operations in 2010 and now spans 32 miles with nine stops from downtown Austin to Leander. However, the story of Austin’s commuter rail begins much earlier. The tracks the Red Line was built on were rst created in the late 1880s when workers hauled pink granite from Northwest Austin to downtown to build Texas’ Capitol building. After a bold plan to build a 52-mile light rail throughout Austin failed in 2000, leaders settled on a more straightforward rail system that became the Red Line. A light rail plan for Central Austin was later approved in 2020. Fast forward to 2024, the McKalla stop now has the largest platform along the Red Line. CapMetro ocials said they hope it will become a go-to for soccer fans, as the previous closest station, Kramer, was a near-mile walk from Q2 and not Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. Ocials also said the ride gives people a chance to see if riding the train could be feasible for work commutes, shopping trips and more. “Special events, especially an event like a soccer match at Q2 Stadium, is a great way to test out transit. You could probably throw a baseball right into the stadium; it’s very close,” said Samantha Baez, CapMetro’s executive vice president, and chief experience and engagement ocer. Loughnane called the station a “spectacular” addition to Q2, as the stadium only has 750 parking spaces but has an average attendance of 20,738 people per match. The new station also “unlocked” the east side of Q2, making accessing the stadium easier for pedestrians, and it created a new designated space for ride hailing services, Loughnane said.

183A TOLL

Round Rock

Key

Rail stations

Red Line

35

Station to be decommissioned

Cedar Park

45 TOLL

THE DOMAIN

MOPAC

183

North Austin

360

35

KRAMER STATION

BROADSTONE NORTH ATX

PANHANDLE RD.

STADIUM TOWER

DONLEY DR.

CALLE NORTE

MOPAC

Q2 STADIUM

290

Q2 STADIUM ASSEMBLAGE

MCKALLA STATION

WEST RD.

Austin

183A TOLL

CESAR CHAVEZ ST.

N

SOURCES: CAPMETRO, AUSTIN PLANNING COMMISSIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

The other side

Over 4,500 people boarded the Red Line Feb. 24—about one fth of the people who attended the match. While CapMetro ocials said they had prepared for crowds, several mechanical failures caused trains to be delayed and people to pile up. Passengers were left in the dark as to when the next train would come, as the digital signs at each station were showing the train schedule, not its real estimated time of arrival. Many fans ended up missing the start of the game or taking a ride hailing service due to the delays, said Andy Skabowski, executive vice president and chief

operating ocer at CapMetro. CapMetro ocials rectied the situation at Austin FC’s next home game March 9. They transported over 7,000 people by rail that day, over 4,000 of which went to McKalla Station. “[On March 9] trains were consistently on time, communication was boosted with both more accurate message boards and personnel on the platform, and getting out of the stadium was ecient and smooth,” Executive Director of Transit Forward Bill McCamley said. “This was even more impressive given the high ridership all day with South by Southwest attendees.”

“Without being able to tell people when the train was coming, people just said, ‘I’m going; I’m taking an Uber,’ and they just kind of gave up on us. [But] we want the 4,000 customers

again. We learned from what we did wrong. Give us another shot, and please come back.” ANDY SKABOWSKI, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT CAPMETRO

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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

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