Connections 2025, Capital Metro’s study to rethink transit, has been underway for over a year and is nearing the finish line. This week, our team will talk with the board of directors at a final work session on Friday, Feb. 17. After that, the board will vote on the Final Transit Plan at their monthly board meeting on Feb. 27.
To date, we’ve met with over 100 organizations, participated in 125 community meetings with nearly 4,000 attendees, and received 6,500 survey responses. On top of that, the Connections 2025 Draft Transit Plan has received support from these organizations:
- Downtown Austin Alliance
- Rocky Mountain Institute
- Urban Transportation Commission
- AURA
- Alliance for Public Transportation in Austin
- Austin Chamber of Commerce
- Vision Zero
- Pedestrian Advisory Council
- Bicycle Advisory Committee
- Downtown Commission
- Zipcar
Executive Summary
In preparation for the final two meetings with our board of directors, we’ve put together some additional study materials, based on board requests.
The Connections 2025 Executive Summary reviews the key elements the team has worked on for the past 15 months:
- Goals & Guiding Principles
- Market Assessment
- Service Evaluation
- Community Input
- Plan Summary
- Capital Program
- Implementation
- Customer Impacts and Benefits
This summary is subject to change, based on the final work session on Friday. A final report will be available after board approval.
MetroRapid Route 820
There have been a number of questions about the proposed MetroRapid Route 820, serving the airport. To address these questions as thoroughly as possible, the Connections 2025 team has gathered more details. View the route proposal presentation at Connections2025.org:
- Starts at 15-minute frequency, graduating to 10-minute frequency once capital investments and transit priority enhancements are complete. This phased approach will also better link service levels to the rapidly developing growth along the corridor.
- Offers the most cost efficient solution to creating a network without duplication.
- Creates a highly connected Route 820 that, along with the other three MetroRapid routes, would form the backbone of frequent, convenient transit service in Austin.
Conforms to recommendations for frequent, high-capacity transit service along the Riverside corridor, between downtown and ABIA, from four different studies, and based on significant public input over the past decade.
Get Involved
We invite our community to the two final board of director conversations about Connections 2025. Can’t make it in person? Follow our live stream online.
Board Work Session
Feb. 17, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Public comment at noon)
Board Meeting
Feb. 27, Noon
Capital Metro (2nd Floor Board Room) 2910 E. 5th St, Austin, TX 78702
capmetroblog.com 
On the subject of alternatives to extending the 820 to the airport, you probably should have analyzed the alternative of terminating alternate 820s early, and only running every other metrorapid to the airport.
It’s probably not the best option, leaving airport travelers to catch lower-frequency non-scheduled connections and introducing the potential for traveler confusion. But it is _an_ option, and leaving it out weakens your message.
Thanks for your input. Our team considered operating the 820 as a short/long line, but concluded that it would be very complicated to operate and would have a very high potential for both overloading and on-time performance/reliability issues. Based on our review of peer agencies, we know short/long lines typically require having a street supervisor in place to ensure trips are equally spaced, and in our estimation it does not make financial sense for the 820 to have short turns. ^MA
Lawrence Deeter has recently been quoted that the station spacing on Metrorapid routes would be 1/2 miles.
https://communityimpact.com/austin/northwest-austin/city-county/2017/02/17/capital-metro-considers-frequent-bus-service-new-routes/
While all previous communication from Capital Metro (including the connections 2025 web site still http://connections2025.org/draft-plan/ ) have indicated station spacing would be 1/3 mile or less.
Can you please reconcile this discrepancy?
Thanks
The article is incorrect. MetroRapid station spacing would be 1/3 mile. Apologies for any confusion, we’ll reach out to that reporter to correct the story. Thanks ^MA