Three cheers for Capital Metro’s rail department and our rail contractor, Herzog Transit Services, for their incredible work getting things back up and running after this week’s flooding.  Parts of our track and bridges were covered by raging creeks, leaving a big mess and lots of damage behind.

Let me tell you, we’re extremely fortunate we only had to stop all rail service for one day.  Herzog’s maintenance crews worked their magic in the Robinson Ranch area near Howard Station, replacing ballast (little rocks that provide stability under the ties) that had been washed away.  By the next day we were up and running again from Lakeline Station southward.

The damage in the Block House Creek area south of Leander Station was more serious. The team rebuilt and repaired about 150 feet of track bed. This required the removal of all debris, re-grating of the area, placement of new track bed aggregate, rebuilding the embankments, tamping the line (compaction) and polishing the rail to remove build up that formed because no trains were running.  The work continued into the wee hours, but in plenty of time for us to resume service in Leander right on schedule Friday morning.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers, and we’re grateful for the amazing work of our staff and contractors.