Awaiting New Commuter Systems

Will plans to establish advanced “people mover” systems throughout Bexar County and points north become a reality in our lifetime?
By Lisa A. Bastian, CBC

Of the 21 commuter rail systems operating in North America’s metros, most are located in the United States’ East and West coasts. Surprisingly. San Antonio is still without such an advantageous transportation system, even though it’s the nation’s seventh-largest city (and state’s second-largest) by population — and still growing.

Talk of establishing a commuter rail line has remained talk for decades. But now conversations are turning serious in some quarters, birthing new “people mover” plans set to impact millions of San Antonians seeking car-alternative transportation. However, not all of them involve trains.

The Austin-San Antonio Commuter Train Project

Nearly three million people live the Austin-San Antonio Corridor and use I-35 as their main transportation artery. By 2020 it’s predicted their ranks will almost double; meaning the interstate will become even more snarled than it is today with passenger traffic. What can be done to ease congestion?

Enter the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail Project (ASA), which is part of the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District. This regional entity advocates the establishment of a 112-mile passenger rail service operating in the existing Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way paralleling I-35 between San Antonio (Port San Antonio) and Round Rock, and the abandoned MoKan right-of-way from Round Rock to Georgetown.
The rail district’s December 2004 updated feasibility report — and Alison Schulze, ASA’s rail district administrator and senior planner — provide some interesting conceptual data on how this rail system might work if it becomes reality.

Beginning in 2011 or 2012, regularly scheduled passenger trains moving 80 mph would stop at 15 stations between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. That means riders could travel from San Antonio to New Braunfels, New Braunfels to San Marcos, San Marcos to Austin, Austin to Round Rock, and back again. The estimated time to be transported from the Alamo City to Austin would be 90 minutes by express train.

“By 2030 we predict the system will log 3.2 million boardings per year or 1.6 million riders, assuming everyone buys a roundtrip ticket,” says Schulze. In all likelihood the corridor will be divided into several zones, and a ticket costing “9 to 12 dollars” would be good for a ride in a single zone. At this early stage in the game “prices have yet to be determined,” she says, “but there will be any number of ways to get that cost down with frequent rider, student and senior rider passes.”

While no agreements have yet been inked with other transportation entities, plans also call for the ASA system to include seamless transfers from train to bus or bus to train without the purchase of an additional ticket. This is similar to what is done in the Dallas-Fort Worth system, she notes.

“Right now, we pretty much force people into a car if we want them to travel up and down the corridor,” adds Schulze. “To me, this [project] represents choice, but it’s not just any choice. The train will be safer and more dependable than a car. Currently if you travel from San Antonio to Austin, you never know if it will take 90 minutes or a few hours. The good thing about trains is they usually have a 98 percent on-time delivery record, and bad weather doesn’t’ affect them.” She predicts train travel may be especially appealing to older residents seeking a less-stressful I-35 commuting experience.

Circumventing America’s Deadliest Highway

How unsafe is this stretch of highway, which claims about a 100 lives a year? Well, it’s certainly infamous in the offices of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

One 1999 FHWA study stated that “along the entire 1,700-mile stretch of I-35 from Mexico to Canada, the highest levels of fatalities, the worst congestion, the slowest average speed per mile, the lowest levels of service, and the most air pollution” occur here. The report also noted that a commuter train would be “feasible” from a technical and financial perspective.

Decreasing car traffic will help make I-35 more safe for everyone, including truckers engaged in commercial traffic. This is the primary route for moving trade goods from Mexico through Texas and up into Canada, and experts predict NAFTA-boosted trade is only going to explode exponentially in the years ahead.

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