Transportation
Soccer fans use new rail station
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.
183A TOLL
Round Rock
Key
Thousands of soccer fans wearing bright green jerseys boarded Capital Metro’s Red Line Feb. 24 to experience the grand opening of McKalla Station. Located less than 100 yards from Q2 Stadium, the $60 million station is expected to make going to and from Austin FC games easier. While CapMetro and Austin FC o cials learned lessons from that opening night, o cials hope with time the station will become a staple for residents. “This is a game-changer, not just for the stadium and our fans, but it’s also a game-changer for the neighborhood,” Austin FC President Andy Loughnane said. 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. The McKalla stop now has the largest platform along the Red Line. CapMetro o cials 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. O cials also said the ride gives people a chance to see if riding the train could be feasible for work commutes, shopping trips and more. 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.
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 COMMISSION COMMUNITY 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 o cials 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 o cer at CapMetro. CapMetro o cials recti ed 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 e cient 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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