A year or two ago, the people of Austin were unsure of what would happen to the metro rail service plans that was introduced. People had they're hopes up but further delays ended all the excitement.
Even the people of Austin had they're doubts about the capital metro rail service being up and running in Austin. The challenge of getting the rail up by the target seemed more and more unrealistic.
But what a difference a year has made. The new board and management have brought discipline, competence, and greater transparency to the agency. Now the metro rail service is looking to expand even more to meet greater demands of the city during special events and during the weekends.
During the south by south west interactive, music and film festival the demand for the rail service had reached it's peak since it first launched. American statesman writer Ben wear reported that MetroRail boardings averaged 3146 from Monday to Thursday during the third week in March, with a high of 3708 on March 17th.
Even without special events the demand for MetroRail has substantially risen. Critics had asserted that Central Texas residents would not abandon they're cars and vehicles to replace them with the MetroRail and the ones who actually did would use the bus system instead because of cheaper price. They also blasted costs for commuter rails, saying that fares don't cover what it costs to run the system.
The MetroRail has gone through a lot of ups and down during it's infant years here in Austin. But it seems like all that effort is going to be paid of in the future as it is getting known to be a more and more popular transportation option to the people in the Greater Austin Area.
Recently I've begun to use CapMetro as an alternative route to my commute from Cedar Park to downtown. Originally I had intended to use the metro rail as I had been accustomed to rail systems in other cities that ran quickly with a nice variant in time schedules. If you missed a train another would be along in a few minutes to get you to your destination without much if a delay. That was not what I found with the schedules for the metro rail in Austin. The length of time it took to ride the train was longer then taking an express bus from the same station to the Capital Complex. The wait time between trains was extremely long so if you missed a train you might as well call and let your boss know you're going to be at least 30-40 minutes late. It's also very limited to the locations it can go. A large portion of Austin does not receive rail service.
ReplyDeleteI, however, was pleased to read Surid Kaphle's blog "A Great Citizen" who offered positive news about the rail service. It's usage during SXSW increased attendance and revenue to the areas along the rail line and allowed many locals the opportunity to avoid the downtown traffic that week.
A point that I feel would have been pertinent to the "boom" of Metrorail usage that was not mentioned was the state of the economy. Gas prices are still rising, commutes are still long, many people are out of work or looking for work , budgets are stretched to the max so many including myself just can't afford the extra gas. In addition, students like myself at ACC can get a free bus pass for the semester allowing me to ride the bus OR the rail for free which has made riding Capmetro much more appealing. Honestly, if it wasn't for the economy, I'm not sure the Metrorail would have the riders that it does.
http://theelephantcage.blogspot.com/2011/04/build-it-and-they-will-come.html
ReplyDelete“Build it and they will come,” is what I told a staunch libertarian not too far back when we were discussing the plans for the MetroRail, which at the time was still in its planning stage. He had insisted that this was just another example of wasteful government spending and cited polls showing that rider ship would not be anywhere near a reasonable level-- people would rather ride in their cars.
Naturally, I was thrilled to read your blog and realize that the statement I made to my libertarian friend was more than just a tongue-in-cheek movie reference. Despite polls showing that people had only a lukewarm interest in riding the MetroRail, once it was put right in front of their faces it was too good to resist. I think the MetroRail is an excellent step towards planning for the future infrastructure of an incredibly fast growing city. In 10 years, when gas prices are $10 a gallon and the population of Austin is far greater than I-35 can sustain, we will be glad that we started expanding a network of rails before we hit a crisis point in public transportation.
You made a compelling argument for the growing popularity of the MetroRail. The only thing that I would add to your blog is that this issue can be tied in with a larger ideological dilemma facing both Texas and the US. There is something we can learn from this situation.
Investments in our society aren't just lavish, nice things to have; investments are practical NESCITIES that will yield a GREAT return in the future. Conservatives are always calling for fiscal responsibility, but I think fiscal responsibility means more than just limiting spending. Fiscal responsibility means that sometimes we have to SPEND money on our future in a way that will either SAVE us money down the line or GENERATE economic potential. The MetroRail represents both. Greater access to downtown Austin is great for local businesses (especially during SxSW, as you already mentioned) and establishing an infrastructure of rails before demand goes through the roof will allow for better planning and more efficient spending.
I currently work at the Hilton Austin which is right across the street from the MetroRail Downtown Station. Some of my coworkers are able to use the MetroRail to get to and from work, however it is a *very* small amount. I think that until the MetroRail expands to include more than just the Northwest Austin area, it will not be viewed as successful in the eyes of Austinites.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the amount of passengers increased during SXSW, it still was not that useful. You can see in this article that the last train left downtown at 11:30pm: http://impactnews.com/northwest-austin/256-recent-news/11735-capital-metro-extends-metrorail-service-for-sxsw
I don't know about you, but most people do not leave downtown or are ready to leave downtown before midnight. My family was going to attempt to use the MetroRail to avoid having to drive and find parking downtown, but with the cost per person so high, and the inconvenient schedule, they were not able to. The band they wanted to see didn't go on stage until 11pm, so it was not feasible for them to catch the 11:30pm train.
I think that the MetroRail has great potential, and will be successful, eventually. Austin needs to dedicate more time and money to make it useful to a larger percentage of the population.