GREEN Austin Texas

Tomorrow morning, March 22, 2010, is a historic occasion for the Austin, Texas Metro Area. At 5:25am, the new Capital Metrorail redline train leaves Leander, Texas’s TOD on its way to Austin, Texas. I will be at the Leander Station at 4:30am to help. I am excited about the event and the prospects for all of us who live in the area. We need solutions to Austin’s traffic problems and commuter rail will play a part be it big or small. I know CapMetro is relieved and I am too! I will be there assisting as a MetroRail Ambassador. Watch this video for tips on how to ride.

Now, you can consider buying a home or condo near a rail station and perhaps live carless! Search Austin Homes
And if you work in Downtown or Central Austin you can buy a less expensive home in the suburbs, such as Leander and ride the train in to work everyday! Search Leander Homes

I learned about the commuter bus from Austin to San Antonio on the EchoTown.net web site Blogs from a biking blogger upset about public transportation. Tired of waiting for a commuter rail to get from Austin to San Antonio or vice versa, this blogger uses the commuter bus service.  The Austin-San Antonio commuter rail line has been under discussion for many years.  Expected to begin March 30th, 2009, Austin’s Leander to Austin commuter rail is not in operation for the public yet either.  So what’s a carless person to do?  Taking the bus may be the best current option.  Here is the BT Interurban website to guide you through the process.   There is WiFi on the bus system for laptop use in route and bicycle racks to carry your transportation to the next destination.  Bus tickets are available at HEB grocery store locations in San Marcos, New Braunfels and Kyle.  The two bus routes run along IH 35 between Austin, Texas and San Antonio, Texas with stops in San Marcos, Texas in Hays County.  For more information about bus and other transportation options in San Marcos see the CARTS or Capital Area Rural Transporation System website.  For information on Bicycle Transportation in San Marcos see the Texas State University website section on bicycling.  In San Antonio the bus service connects with San Antonio’s Via bus system.  In Austin stops are tied to existing Capital Metro bus system locations which extend as far north as the Leander Station Park-n-Ride in Leander’s TOD with Express Bus Service.  For more on the Long-Range Transit Plan for the Austin area see Capital Metro’s All Systems Go site.  The CapMetro site also has information on the Regional Commuter Rail project for the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Rail District.  For more information on the San Antonio area’s Alamo Regional Transit check the Alamo Area Council of Goverments web site.

The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Leander, Texas had an Open House Saturday February 7th 2009 at the new  Capital MetroRail Leander Station.  The new Swiss train was there as well as CapMetro staff to educate attendees on the new commuter rail service into Austin, Texas.  The first of several Open Houses Capital Metro is holding, this was a well attended event.  The Austin Steam Train came by during the Open House & seeing the 2 trains side-by-side was like the old ushering in the newest technology of 2009.