Reaching Higher - capmetroblog.files.wordpress.com

Reaching Higher: Recent News& Highlights

July - September 2021

Contents

Showing the Love

A Better Ride

Public Safety by Supporting Our Community

Q2 Stadium Service

Pandemic Response

Project Connect: Fulfilling Our Promise

3

4

4

5

6

7-12

CapMetro is proud to be an essential part of the life of the Austin area, which

is why we take every chance to give back to our community. In the last three

months, we’ve done that through:

• Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive: Supported our kids and our schools

in partnership with H-E-B & For the Children, collecting more than

1,300 items.

• Pride Bus: This year’s Pride Parade was canceled, but we can’t hide our

pride this year ... or any year! We decked out one of our buses with a

specially designed wrap, complete with LED lighting for an extra bit of fl air.

• Juneteenth Parade: We joined in the annual Juneteenth Parade once again!

Showing the Love

3

A Better RideCapMetro wants you to be able to

get around more easily. So park

your car and hop on a bus at the

new Richard A. Moya Eastside Bus

Plaza (at Shady Lane and 5th Street)

and at the redesigned North Lamar

Transit Center (at Lamar and U.S.

183). These facilities create more

connections and make it easier

getting around the eastern parts

of Austin and Travis County.

Public Safety by Supporting Our Community Capital Metro is broadening

our Public Safety program. The

program’s new focused approach

will better serve customers, staff

and the community, allowing us to

serve the Central Texas of today

and the transit system CapMetro

is building for tomorrow.

Our new approach will feature:

• Public safety ambassadors

who can sell a pass and

answer questions.

• On-staff social workers to

respond to incidents and train

CapMetro employees.

• More security cameras on vehicles

and at facilities.

• Transit-focused police offi cers only

for specifi c instances when law

enforcement is truly needed.

44

Q2 Stadium ServiceAustin’s fi rst major league team has been the big story around town all

year. Tens of thousands of fans fl ock to McKalla Place for every game at

Q2 Stadium, and CapMetro brings a lot of them there by train, bus and

paratransit services.

5

Pandemic ResponseThe 2021 version of the pandemic has been even more up and down

than last year’s.

We’ve responded to a recent rise in COVID-19 infections by pushing hard to

get as many CapMetro family members as possible fully vaccinated, through

both on-site vaccination opportunities, incentive programs and public health

campaigns. We’ve also continued our free rides to vaccine appointments

campaign, hoping to make it easier for everyone to get their shot.

We concluded our meal delivery program in June, passing the

1 million meal mark! We are grateful to our partners at the Central Texas

Food Bank and other organizations that made this program possible.

6

Project Connect is multigenerational in scope,but we’ve wasted no time getting to work.

Fulfi lling OurPromise

7

MetroRapid Pleasant Valley and Expo Center LinesWe have been working closely with both federal and local government partners to move quickly on the fi rst major new services to emerge from Project Connect. That work has paid off with the inclusion of funding fortwo new MetroRapid routes in President Biden’s fi rst federal budget.

Now, we are coordinating with the city of Austin to select station locations and with suppliers to purchase buses to operate the routes. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2021. The next new MetroRapid routes to begin the process will be the Gold Line and Burnet-to-Menchaca-and-Oak-Hill.

• Pleasant Valley (2023)• Expo Center (2023) • Gold Line (2024)• Burnet-to-Menchaca-and-Oak-Hill

(2024)

Huston-TillotsonUniversity

51st St

St Johns Ave

38½ St

Sa

n J

acin

to B

l

N L

am

ar B

l

Riverside Dr

Bu

rton

Dr

S C

on

gre

ss

Ave

Pa

r

S L

am

ar B

l

S 1

st S

t

Cesar Chavez St

onal

Universityof Texas

LongCenter

Lady Bird Lake

Oak Spri

ngs Dr

La

ma

r Bl

MLK

Dell SetonHospital

UT EAST

HANCOCK

CLARKSON

ST. DAVID’S

MEDICAL SCHOOL

CAPITOLEAST

TRINITY

GOLD

LINE

GOLD

LINE

HIGHLAND

SOCO

PLAZA SALTILLO

CRESTVIEW

MLK

HIGHLAND

EG

DIR

HC

ET

OT

DE

GDI

R H

CE

T O

T D

HIGHLAND

LAKESHORE

TRAVISHEIGHTS

WATERFRONT

RAINEY/MACC

NORTH LAMARTRANSIT CENTER

CRESTVIEW

KOENIG

TRIANGLE

HYDEPARK

HEMPHILL PARK

UT/WEST MALL

PLAZA SALTILLO

AIRPORBLVD

DEL

SPRINSHO

LAFAYETTE

CAPITOLEAST

MEDICAL SCHOOL

LAMARSQUARE

TRIANGLE

HEMPHILL PARK

HYDEPARK

KOENIG


RUNDBERG

GOV’T CENTER/CAPITOL WEST

SOCO

OLTORF

TRIANGLE

UT/WEST MALL

CRESTVIEW

5TH/6TH

& LAMAR

COMAL

WEBBERVILL

OWNOWN

TRINITY

300

300

300

337

20

10

10

7

7

2

17

7

10

325

325

7

20

337


DEL

HIGHLAND

TRIANGLE

CONV. CENTER/BRUSH SQUARE

REPUBLICSQUARE

AUDITORIUM SHORES

CONGRESSAVE

RAINEY/MACC

NE A

Pick

UT EAST

HANCOCK

CLARKSON

ST. DAVID’S

CAPITOLEAST

MEDICAL SCHOOL

TRINITY

HIGHLAND


REPUBLICSQUARE

CONGRESSAVE

8

MetroRapid Pleasant Valley and Expo Center LinesWe have been working closely with both federal and local government partners to move quickly on the fi rst major new services to emerge from Project Connect. That work has paid o� with the inclusion of funding fortwo new MetroRapid routes in President Biden’s fi rst federal budget.

Now, we are coordinating with the city of Austin to select station locations and with suppliers to purchase buses to operate the routes. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2021. The next new MetroRapid routes to begin the process will be the Gold Line and Burnet-to-Menchaca-and-Oak-Hill.

• Pleasant Valley (2023)• Expo Center (2023) • Gold Line (2024)• Burnet-to-Menchaca-and-Oak-Hill

(2024)

Barton Creek

Greenbelt

Walnut Creek Metro Park

Emma Long Metro Park

McKinney Falls State Park

CreekPark

Huston-TillotsonUniversity

Rundberg Ln

51st St

MLK Bl

St Johns Ave

Enfield Rd

Exposition Bl

38½ St

San Jacinto B

l

N Lam

ar Bl

Burnet R

d

Riverside Dr

Montopolis D

r

West G

ate B

lvd

Burton D

r

S C

ongress Ave

Parker Ln

S Lam

ar Bl

S Lamar B

l

Panther Trl

Metric B

l

BRAKER LN

Stassney Ln

S 1st S

tS

1st St

Cesar Chavez St

ACCSouth Austin

SetonHospital

ACCRiverside

ACCNorthridge

Universityof Texas

St Edward’sUniversity

LBJ High School

LongCenter

ZilkerPark Roy G. Guerrero

CO River Park

Lady Bird Lake

Man

or R

d

Oak Sprin

gs Dr

Lamar B

l

Lake Austin

MLK

130TOLL

360LOOP

Dell SetonHospital

Ben White Bl

MLKMLK

UT EAST

HANCOCK

CLARKSON

ST. DAVID’S

MEDICAL SCHOOL

CAPITOLEAST

TRINITY

GOLD LINE

GOLD LINE

HIGHLAND

SOCO

ST EDWARD’S

SOUTH CONGRESSTRANSIT CENTER

PLAZA SALTILLO

CRESTVIEW

MCKALLA

KRAMER

BROADMOOR/DOMAIN

HOWARD

MLK

RED LINE

RED LINE

HIGHLAND

EG

DIR

HCET

OT

D

NAL

HGI

H CC

AE

GDI

R HC

ET

OT

DN

ALH

GIH

CCA

HIGHLAND

TECH RIDGETRANSIT CENTER

METROCENTERMONTOPOLISFARO

LAKESHORETRAVIS

HEIGHTS

WATERFRONT

RAINEY/MACC

BLUE LINEBLUE LINE


CRESTVIEW

KOENIG

TRIANGLE

HYDEPARK

HEMPHILL PARK

UT/WEST MALL

RIVERSIDE

COLONY PARK

PLAZA SALTILLO

PLEASANT VALLEY

SPRINGDALE

LOYOLA/JOHNNYMORRIS

BERKMAN/MUELLER

AIRPORTBLVD

ACCEASTVIEW

CESAR CHAVEZ

LAKESHORE

OLTORF EAST

TODD LN

ST. ELMO

DOVE SPRINGS

WILLIAM CANNON EAST

PLEASANT VALLEYPLEASANT VALLEY

GOVALLE

PLEASANT VALLEY

DELCO CENTER

WHELESS

SPRINGDALESHOPPING

CENTER

WESTMINSTER

PHILOMENA

LAFAYETTE

LOYOLA/JOHNNYMORRIS

EXPOEXPO

CAPITOLEAST

MEDICAL SCHOOL

SOUTHEND

RUTLAND

CROSSROADS

OHLEN

NORTHCROSS

ALLANDALE

NORTHLOOP

TEXAS HEALTHCOMMISSION

LAMARSQUARE

OLTORF WEST

MENCHACA

BRODIEOAKS

WESTGATE

LAMAR/WESTGATE

BRODIEOAKHILL

MEN

CHA

CA

TO B

UR

NET

MEN

CHA

CA

TO B

UR

NET

BURNET TO

MENCHACA

AND OAK HILL BURNET TO

MENCHACA

AND OAK HILL

MCKALLA

BROADMOOR/DOMAIN

TRIANGLE

HEMPHILL PARK

HYDEPARK

KOENIG


RUNDBERG

BRAKER

GOV’T CENTER/CAPITOL WEST

SOCO

OLTORF

ST EDWARD’S


STASSNEY

PARMER

TRIANGLE

UT/WEST MALL

ORANGE LINE

ORANGE LINE

CRESTVIEW


RED BUD

EXPOSITION

5TH/6TH

& LAMAR

COMAL

WEBBERVILLE

GOVALLE

CARTS EASTSIDE BUS PLAZA

5TH/6TH

& W LYNNCROSSTOWNCROSSTOWN

TRINITY

PARMERPARMER

300

300

300

300

337

335

7

20

10

10

10

7

7

4

2

2

17

17

7

10325

325

325

311

311

311

7

20

20

337

LOOP 360

FOUR POINTS

HOWARD


DELCO CENTER

HIGHLAND

TRIANGLE

EASTUS 183

CARTS EASTSIDE BUS PLAZA

RED BUD

WESTGATETRANSIT CENTER


OAKHILL

METROCENTER(TEMPORARY NAME)



REPUBLICSQUARE

AUDITORIUM SHORES

CONGRESSAVE

RAINEY/MACC

DessauPickup Zone

NE ATXPickup Zone

East ATXPickup Zone

North Oak HillPickup Zone

ExpositionPickup Zone

UT EAST

HANCOCK

CLARKSON

ST. DAVID’S

CAPITOLEAST

MEDICAL SCHOOL

TRINITY

HIGHLAND


REPUBLICSQUARE

CONGRESSAVE

Orange Line & Blue LineThe year began with public meetings reviewing the scope of theseexpansive light rail projects and continued with federal environmentalreview, community meetings about light rail stations and the formation of working groups designed to get into the weeds of the projects at the neighborhood level.

Part of this work has been to communicate a vision for its design, including stations and where along the route it could travel at street level, below the river and even elevated above ground level.

Getting ElectricIn September, CapMetro agreed to buy nearly 200 new electric buses, the largest electric vehicle procurement in the country. The move will greatly expand our zero-emissions fl eet, with the fi rst buses arriving by the end of 2022.

The switch to only using electric vehicles is an important part of Project Connect, and this marks a pivotal moment in our transition to a zero-emission fl eet. The new buses will replace regular buses and expand the fl eet for the new Expo Center and Pleasant Valley MetroRapid lines as outlined in Project Connect.

This transition will bring annual savings of about 230,000 pounds of greenhouse gases when compared with diesel, resulting in less air, noise and heat pollution, as well as reduced fuel costs.

Pickup ExpansionThe fi rst services to emerge from Project Connect are here already! We initiated operations in three new Pickup zones:

• Pfl ugerville• South Menchaca• North Oak Hill

Pickup is our on-demand transit service designed to work in areas where a traditional bus route may not be the right solution. These are usually less dense, smaller neighborhoods and towns. Pickup operates at a customer’s request, not according to a regular route. Plus, it costs the same as a single ride on a local bus – just a $1.25 each trip. Try it today! CapMetro.org/Pickup

We Want to Hear from You!We need your thoughts, ideas and general contribution. There are a lot of ways to learn about Project Connect and to participate in the process. You can:

• Sign up for and read our newsletter.• Attend a virtual open house or a community meeting to learn more.• Join a working group to drill down into the neighborhood-specifi c details.

Learn more about all of these at ProjectConnect.com/Get-Involved.

Project Connect is multigenerational in scope,but we’ve wasted no time getting to work.

Fulfi lling OurPromise

9

Getting ElectricIn September, CapMetro agreed to buy nearly 200 new electric buses, the largest electric vehicle procurement in the country. The move will greatly expand our zero-emissions fl eet, with the fi rst buses arriving by the end of 2022.

The switch to only using electric vehicles is an important part of Project Connect, and this marks a pivotal moment in our transition to a zero-emission fl eet. The new buses will replace regular buses and expand the fl eet for the new Expo Center and Pleasant Valley MetroRapid lines as outlined in Project Connect.

This transition will bring annual savings of about 230,000 pounds of greenhouse gases when compared with diesel, resulting in less air, noise and heat pollution, as well as reduced fuel costs.

10

Pickup ExpansionThe fi rst services to emerge from Project Connect are here already! We initiated operations in three new Pickup zones:

• Pfl ugerville• South Menchaca• North Oak Hill

Pickup is our on-demand transit service designed to work in areas where a traditional bus route may not be the right solution. These are usually less dense, smaller neighborhoods and towns. Pickup operates at a customer’s request, not according to a regular route. Plus, it costs the same as a single ride on a local bus – just a $1.25 each trip. Try it today! CapMetro.org/Pickup

11

We Want to Hear from You!We need your thoughts, ideas and general contribution. There are a lot of ways to learn about Project Connect and to participate in the process. You can:

• Sign up for and read our newsletter.• Attend a virtual open house or a community meeting to learn more.• Join a working group to drill down into the neighborhood-specifi c details.

Learn more about all of these at ProjectConnect.com/Get-Involved.

12

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