http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJX05wey54&feature=channel
We are getting closer for the new services. We need to open this venue as faster we can.
Awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJX05wey54&feature=channel We are getting closer for the new services. We need to open this venue as faster we can.
videomaker Awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJX05wey54&feature=channel We are getting closer for the new services. We need to open this venue as faster we can. Come on late March ! Was this on tv last night ?
Danny:
It was on TV.. Its great news but lets see!
NEWS FACTS
When you're in a vehicle...
When you're walking...
http://www.capmetro.org/news/news_detail.asp?id=8275
http://www.kvue.com/news/Capital-Metro-begins-testing-its-rail-line-85804097.html
by JESSICA VESS / KVUE News
Posted on March 1, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Updated today at 8:31 PM
******
Capital Metro is preparing to launch its Red Line Rail this month, but had some problems Monday evening.
A spokesperson for Capitol Metro says around 5:15 p.m., their was a server glitch, causing the tests to stop for about 45 minutes. The company had no other details Monday night, but did say that tests did resume after the problem was solved.
The company began test runs on the rail line Monday morning, sending rail cars to each stop and through every cross intersection.
The Red Line Rail has been through several delays.
“The most important thing is starting the rail line when it’s ready. I can’t imagine anyone in the community who would want us to start before we’re ready or before we can guarantee all the safety measures are in place,” said Capital Metro spokesperson Adam Shaivitz.
Capital Metro planned to launch the rail system in March 2009, but federal railroad inspectors wanted the company to make some improvements to the line.
Over the past year, Capital Metro says it’s been making those changes and updating the system. Now it says it's ready to test again.
“We have now notified the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) that we would like them to come in and re-evaluate all of the improvements we have made based on their recommendations,” said Capital Metro Chairman Mike Martinez.
The full test mode begins on Monday. Later in the week, Capital Metro will test the rail line with passengers on board.
"It's more about let's make this a good experience for customers. What are customers going to see when they arrive at the station? Are they going to be able to find where they can buy tickets? Is the signage appropriate on the trains? We're kind of looking at everything through the customer's eyes," said Capital Metro spokesperson Erica McKewen.
A spokesperson says about 100 employees will board the rail cars, ride and then get off. Some will test the system with wheelchairs, strollers or bicycles.
“There's no cutting corners with safety on a railroad. Even just in test mode, with no other trains on the track than one being tested at the time,” said Shaivitz.
Federal inspectors with the FRA will be back out to keep an eye on the system as it makes it test runs.
The test runs are expected to last a couple of weeks.
Capital Metro says if inspectors give their approval, the rail line will launch at the end of the month. Once a launch date is confirmed, Capital Metro will begin selling passes. It will offer five-day rail passes for $20 along with single ride tickets, day passes or 31-day passes.
Awesome,
Thanks for the update,I saw something about CapMetroRail on the news at noon today but the sound was turned down and I couldnt hear what they were saying..However it had to do with raiXings cause they were showing a lot of them..This was on News 8 Austin...
As of March 2, 2010 the following safety, FRA and/or internal projects remain to be completed:
1. DMU: lengthening of an internal grab iron is to be complete by March 5.
2. Modifications to fuel tanks on DMU's to include a "crash cage" will be completed when FRA gives final design approval, expected shortly.
3. Temporal Separation will be complete by end of March.
4. Additions/revisions to General Code of Operating Rules and the issuance of a new employee timetable must be made prior to start of service.
5. Updated CAD software is with FRA for review and approval
6. Collision Hazard Plan is with FRA as required.
7. There are 3 issues remaining with the radio system installation and testing. Will be resolved and completed prior to end of March.
8. Station modifications are with TXDOT for approval
9. False crossing activiations have been corrected.
10. Priority track improvements will be completed by end of March
11. Four bridges remain to be repaired, to be completed by end of March
12.All train boards and message boards are currently being tested
13. DMU and schedule testing to the end of March. March 4-5 trains will test with passenger loads, presumably CapMetro employees. All aspects of train service will be tested.
FRA is currently on site. Expected regular service startup is end of March.
Source: Capital Metro Rail website
videomaker Awesome, Thanks for the update,I saw something about CapMetroRail on the news at noon today but the sound was turned down and I couldnt hear what they were saying..However it had to do with raiXings cause they were showing a lot of them..This was on News 8 Austin...
Anytime Amigo! It's going to be fun in the next few weeks. I will be riding on the first week.
Cap Metro says FRA has approved commuter service to begin on March 22. Stay tuned...
sunbeam Cap Metro says FRA has approved commuter service to begin on March 22. Stay tuned...
Any railfan is going be there on the first week?
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 9:27 p.m. Friday, March 5, 2010
Published: 8:07 p.m. Friday, March 5, 2010
Passenger rail in Austin for the past 40 years the subject of speculation, argumentation, elections and, finally, construction will leave the station early in the morning of March 22 , Capital Metro officials announced Friday .
Federal rail regulators, in town the past several days as Capital Metro did on-schedule testing of the 32-mile line from Leander to downtown Austin, pronounced the system ready to go Friday morning. The line, which was to have opened a year ago (and even earlier under original predictions), had been plagued by glitches in its signal and gate crossing systems much of last year.
But after a troubleshooting process that involved bringing in signalization experts to diagnose the problems and revamping both hardware and software, Capital Metro in recent weeks had indicated that the system was working properly.
Capital Metro officials have predicted that the MetroRail line will average about 2,000 boardings a day its first year, which likely equates to about a thousand people using the train instead of a bus or car to get to work. Despite that modest initial ridership, the coming train service, Capital Metro board member John Langmore said, is the "start of a new day. Things will never be the same. It's going to change the way we get around and the way we view public transportation in this community."
The line will have nine stations, and service will run every 35 minutes starting at 5:25 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. There will be 19 daily runs: six southbound and three northbound in the morning, and six northbound and four southbound in the evening. Most of the "reverse" runs — those going north in the morning and south in the evening — will not run the full 32 miles.
There will be no regular weekend service for the foreseeable future, although Capital Metro officials have left open the possibility of isolated runs for special events. The commuter rail service will share the tracks with Capital Metro freight service. The passenger runs will be during weekdays, and the freight trains will run on nights and weekends. Federal regulators required such "temporal separation" of the two kinds of trains.
The full 32-mile trip should take just over an hour , Capital Metro says.
The red, white and gray train cars will each have 108 seats and room for about 90 people to stand. There are areas near the doors with room for wheelchairs and bike hooks.
The three suburban stations — Leander, Lakeline and Howard Lane — have park-and-ride lots, where parking is free. The six stations closer in do not have parking.
There will be "connector" buses waiting for trains at stations at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and downtown, with five bus routes to the University of Texas, the Capitol complex and other points in the central business district. Those connector routes will run in the afternoon as well, taking passengers back to those two stations in time for outbound routes.
The March 22 opening marks the end of a very long process of getting urban rail in Austin. Advocates as early as 1970 were calling on the City of Austin (Capital Metro did not exist until 1985 ) to create a streetcar service. And in the early 1980s, the city bought the Llano-to-Giddings railroad that MetroRail will run on from Southern Pacific with the express purpose of someday having passenger service on it.
When voters approved Capital Metro's creation and authorized a maximum 1 percent sales tax, the agency was seen as not only the new operator of local bus service but also the developer of future passenger rail. For the next 15 years or so, that service was envisioned as electric light-rail, essentially souped-up streetcars that would run not only on downtown streets but also on longer routes.
An election in November 2000 to authorize a $1.9 billion , 52-mile light-rail system failed to get approval by about 2,000 votes. So Capital Metro came back in 2004 with a much smaller plan, one involving the existing track to Leander and self-propelled, diesel-powered train cars.
Capital Metro said it could build it for $60 million while borrowing $30 million for six train cars and paying that back over 10 years. About $30 million of that cost, they said, would come from the federal government. The system, officials said, was to have begun service by "early 2008." Voters, by 62 percent , said go ahead.
Much of that did not pan out. Capital Metro never officially sought the federal money. The agency now says it has spent $105 million on the system, not $90 million, but that excludes millions of dollars of directly related costs. And the system will be opening two years after that original prediction.
The price to ride
The agency won't charge fares the first week.
One-way for the full 32-mile route will be $3, $2 for shorter trips.
A day pass, which will allow a customer to ride all Capital Metro buses as well, will cost $6, and a monthly pass with the same privileges will cost $70.
Five-day passes will be sold for $20.
All but the five-day pass will initially be available at the stations; the five-day passes will be available there at a later date. Starting March 15, all tickets will be sold at H-E-B grocery stores, at www.capmetro.org and at the agency's transit store at 323 Congress Ave.
Passengers will not have to go through a turnstile or show their ticket or pass to board. But after the free period ends, Capital Metro will hire off-duty Austin police officers to randomly check whether passengers have tickets. A rider without a ticket will be forced to de-board and buy a ticket. Even later, the officers will issue citations to those without a ticket.
The story so far
November 2000: Voters reject a $1.9 billion, 52-mile light-rail system with many routes on city streets.
November 2004:Voters, by 62 percent, approve a $90 million commuter line from Leander to downtown Austin.
October 2007: First of six Stadler railcars manufactured in Switzerland arrive in Austin.
October 2008: Capital Metro, with two of its stations not yet under construction, drops "fall 2008" opening date and announces March 30, 2009, as the beginning of service.
Mid-March 2009: Plagued by signal and crossing gate problems, agency postpones March 30 opening indefinitely.
December 2009: Capital Metro fires rail contractor Veolia Transportation, replacing them with Herzog Transit Services.
March 5, 2010: Agency announces that MetroRail service will begin March 22.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/metrorail-to-begin-service-march-22-323160.html
MetroRail service will begin tomorrow morning! Let's see how they do!
Well, I can hear them departing Leander on time, anyway. A pal just called and said the trains are packed, at least down on the downtown end....he isn't riding today.
They really need to do something about those obnoxious whistles, like replace them with a Hancock air whistle or something similar to a PE whistle.
I will be riding tomorrow and Wed.evenings counting passengers.. ! I will let yall know about it Thur..If any of you ride I'll be at the Leander sta..Would like to meet you guys I talk with on here...
4merroad4man,
I agree,they do need to change the dinky whistle to a horn..
videomaker I will be riding tomorrow and Wed.evenings counting passengers.. ! I will let yall know about it Thur..If any of you ride I'll be at the Leander sta..Would like to meet you guys I talk with on here... 4merroad4man, I agree,they do need to change the dinky whistle to a horn..
If you come to downtown just give me a call or stop by the hotel.
Javier
Jav,
I'll be there today about 620 ish, we stopped yesterday for about 10 min,didnt have time to get a drink let alone anything else ! Then it was back to Leander...I will post a full report tomorrow...
ALL ABOARD !
CapMetroRail is off and running ! After spending 2 days riding and counting passengers,and listening to their comments I have decided that this commuter line is on its way to being the best thing to happen in Austin since Ann Richards was elected gov. ! LOL.. All of the 400 people that rode the 4 trips I made had nothing but good words for it ,with exception of a few..All systems worked for the most part,some folks last night couldnt get their WI-FI to connect,other could..It may have been their equipt..One guy had an ipod that wouldnt connect anywhere on the line..Other folks asked about discounts for seniors,more bike spaces and handicapped spaces..All the fine tuning still needs a bit of tweeking but this is going to be a HUGE asset to Austin and those folks who live to the north and commute everyday..To all of the skeptics in and around the area I say try it,you will be pleasantly surprised! If you havent rode it yet,tomorrow is the last FREE day ! Fares start Mon...
All aboard Austin,here comes the MetroRail !
videomaker ALL ABOARD ! CapMetroRail is off and running ! After spending 2 days riding and counting passengers,and listening to their comments I have decided that this commuter line is on its way to being the best thing to happen in Austin since Ann Richards was elected gov. ! LOL.. All of the 400 people that rode the 4 trips I made had nothing but good words for it ,with exception of a few..All systems worked for the most part,some folks last night couldnt get their WI-FI to connect,other could..It may have been their equipt..One guy had an ipod that wouldnt connect anywhere on the line..Other folks asked about discounts for seniors,more bike spaces and handicapped spaces..All the fine tuning still needs a bit of tweeking but this is going to be a HUGE asset to Austin and those folks who live to the north and commute everyday..To all of the skeptics in and around the area I say try it,you will be pleasantly surprised! If you havent rode it yet,tomorrow is the last FREE day ! Fares start Mon... All aboard Austin,here comes the MetroRail !
Yesterday, I try to ride the train from 3:45 going north then getting off at the last stop then come back on the 5:23 train. If you notice on the schedule you could only do once a day. The schedule for going from Downtown up north is very poor. Sad to see the schedule very limited and no weekends. My friend at work rides the train in the morning and he enjoy the rides. He tells me the Police, Firefighters, and city workers rides for free. I wish I could get that incentive. Overall, I hear the same comments you have heard before. Awesome!
I'll be taking my first ride on Capital Metro Rail next week. I am looking forward to it. The ride will be sweeter because I am a senior and, therefore, will be able to ride for free. Actually, a lot of people will be able to ride for free. Why?
According to Capital Metro's webpage, seniors, disabled persons, UT students, faculty, and staff, police and fire persons, as well as military personnel in uniform, can ride for free. Is there really an economic justification for this policy?
A significant percentage of seniors in this area, for example, have as much or more income than before they retired. They could easily afford to pay the fare. The same applies to most UT faculty and administrative personnel. Austin police and firefighters are amongst the highest paid police and firefighters in Texas; they too could pay the fare.
For a project that has cost nearly double the original estimate, as well as one that will chew up a significant percentage of Capital Metro's operating budget, Capital Metro should be doing everything reasonable to recover the operating costs for the rail system from the fare box. Giving a lot of people who could pay for the ride a free pass, largely for traditional or sentimental reasons, may be good politics, but it is not good economics. And it is not fair to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill for a system that will be used by a miniscule percentage of the local population.
If you find the arrangements so objectionable, then pay the regular fare.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Odd as it may seem, I am with Sam on this one. The one exception is that I believe that a sworn police officer IN FULL UNIFORM should be allowed to ride for free because every officer who rides is a security person you don't have to hire for security on the train. Patrons will feel more secure seeing a uniform on the train with them.
Most systems offer a discount to children and seniors but I am not personally familiar with any that let any of those groups ride for free.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe VetMost systems offer a discount to children and seniors but I am not personally familiar with any that let any of those groups ride for free.
In Illinois, the entire Chicago RTA (Metra, CTA and PACE) are free for seniors. it was one of many crazy programs put forth by our former crazy, crooked, etc., Governor, Rob "Hair" "Blago" Blagojevich.
I personally think offering totally free fares to seniors is a wrong-headed policy, unless they are indigent. I also believe that if I am personally opposed to some program, in order to not become a hypocrite, I also have an obligation to not take advantage of it myself
schlimm Phoebe VetMost systems offer a discount to children and seniors but I am not personally familiar with any that let any of those groups ride for free. In Illinois, the entire Chicago RTA (Metra, CTA and PACE) are free for seniors. it was one of many crazy programs put forth by our former crazy, crooked, etc., Governor, Rob "Hair" "Blago" Blagojevich. I personally think offering totally free fares to seniors is a wrong-headed policy, unless they are indigent. I also believe that if I am personally opposed to some program, in order to not become a hypocrite, I also have an obligation to not take advantage of it myself
Our current and post-Blagoevich Governor, Pat Quinn, has gone on record as saying that free rides are crazy, especially during this economic crisis. Like so many Illinois institutions at this time, the CTA is broke and even the RTA is running fewer Pace buses than before.
Mayor Daley, as well, has opined that totally free rides are nuts. As mentioned above, the CTA/RTA already had reduced fares for seniors, kids going to and from school, and the disabled.
"Bad Hair" had many failings as governor, as we all know, but perhaps the largest one aside from the incredible level of corruption was that he apparently thought people would love him if he showered benefits down on them.
Mayor
Phoebe Vetpolice officer IN FULL UNIFORM should be allowed to ride for free because every officer who rides is a security person you don't have to hire for security on the train. Patrons will feel more secure seeing a uniform on the train with them.
The POLICE and Fire personnel in uniform ride free on any transit in Tx as far as I know,just because you never know when you may need them for medical emergencies or law enforcement..As for Austin, CapMetro is hiring the police to work "off duty" for a while,I dont know how long this will last..They may eventually have their own police dept,as Dart in Dallas does...I know Metro has discounted fares (half price) for seniors ,this is the first I heard that seniors ride free..
To Awesome, Rail service on w/ends was never a part of the regular schedule,they may at some point later on try it but that will depend on demand...For now the AustinSteam Train will still run on these tracks on the w/end...
schlimm If you find the arrangements so objectionable, then pay the regular fare.
On many occasions I pay the regular fare, although I have a senior pass. But whether I take advantage of the program has nothing to do with its merits.
In Dallas, which is the other major system that I am familiar with, seniors, disabled people, and students get a discount fare, but they don't get a free pass. I am not sure about uniformed police officers. Over the 31 years that I rode the bus and light rail system in Dallas, I never saw a police officer, other than a transit cop, on the trains or at the bus stops.
Sam1 Over the 31 years that I rode the bus and light rail system in Dallas, I never saw a police officer, other than a transit cop, on the trains or at the bus stops.
Sam, the news is reporting that Moscow's subway was just bombed, and US transit and passenger rail authorities are issuing alerts. Could it be that during the majority of those past 31 years you spoke of there really was never a serious need for uniformed cops on most US trains? The world has changed dramatically in the past few years.
There was talk a while back about "Rail Marshals" and there may in fact be some riding trains now. The idea of uniformed police presence on commuter and subway trains really isn't anything new, but has never been implemented on a regular basis until the past decade. In 1988 I do remember seeing NYPD officers on board some subway trains during a visit there.
Based on the ongoing behaviors of some people around the globe, I imagine we should look for increased security well above what is in place now, and innovative in its attempts to control the costs associated with it. I have no problem with it.
4merroad4man Sam1 Over the 31 years that I rode the bus and light rail system in Dallas, I never saw a police officer, other than a transit cop, on the trains or at the bus stops. Sam, the news is reporting that Moscow's subway was just bombed, and US transit and passenger rail authorities are issuing alerts. Could it be that during the majority of those past 31 years you spoke of there really was never a serious need for uniformed cops on most US trains? The world has changed dramatically in the past few years. There was talk a while back about "Rail Marshals" and there may in fact be some riding trains now. The idea of uniformed police presence on commuter and subway trains really isn't anything new, but has never been implemented on a regular basis until the past decade. In 1988 I do remember seeing NYPD officers on board some subway trains during a visit there. Based on the ongoing behaviors of some people around the globe, I imagine we should look for increased security well above what is in place now, and innovative in its attempts to control the costs associated with it. I have no problem with it.
Saying that I never saw a uniformed police officer on DART meant that I never saw a Dallas City police officer riding a bus or train in uniform. Most Dallas police officers drive to work.
DART has a police force. It is independent of the Dallas police force. I have seen DART police at the transit stations, as well as patrolling along the bus and rail lines in Dallas, but I never saw one on the light rail trains. One reason, I suspect, is that the trains do not lend themselves to on-train patrol. Because of the way that they are designed, a police officer cannot move from one unit to another whilst the train is moving.
In New York City, where I lived for more than five years, I saw heaps of transit cops on the trains. They were there for a good reason. The city subway system attracts criminals like a dog attracts fleas.
Today was the first day passengers on Capital MetroRail were required to pony up the fare. And it was my first day to ride the train from Leander to MLK, which is the transfer point for the shuttle bus to UT. I took the 7:54 a.m. train.
There were heaps of Capital Metro personnel, as well as police officers, at each station to help people buy their tickets and board the train. Moreover, unlike San Francisco, where wrestling with the ticket machines is a major challenge, Capital Metro's ticket machines are easy to use. I particularly like the fact that you can use a credit card to pay for a variety of ticket options.
The load factor on the 7:54 was approximately 20 to 25 per cent when the train left Leander. It rose to approximately 50 to 60 per cent at Lakeland, which is the first stop after Leander, where it appeared to stay until MLK, when many if not most of the passengers detrained to go to the Capitol or UT.
The train is more comfortable than the express bus that I have been taking to UT. The lighting, color scheme, seats, etc. make for a comfortable and pleasing environment. The wide doorways make entering and exiting the train convenient. The panoramic windows are great for viewing the country and city side as the train rolls toward Austin. The noise level from the engine, as well as the track noise, is muted. It was hardly noticeable. The train departed on time and arrived at all its stops on time. And the bus coordination went off like clockwork.
The route is truly over the hill and through the dale. The track winds this way and that way. If one was not able to see out of the train and only had a compass to look at, he or she might think that they were on a warship that was zigzagging to avoid an enemy submarine. As a result the speed, especially in several areas, is not much greater than I can achieve on my bicycle. That's probably over stating it a bit, but the route is not a high speed line by any stretch of the imagination. Accordingly, the train does not shave nearly as much time off the commute from Leander to UT that it might if the line could handle higher speeds.
The train makes it possible for me to sleep an extra 20 minutes. The express bus from Leander to UT, which departs at 7:25 a.m., takes 73 minutes to get to UT, which it does easily on a good day. The train and bus combination takes 62 minutes. Depending where a passenger is going on the UT campus, the express bus can be as quick as the train and shuttle bus. I suspect, however, on inclement days, when traffic in Austin really gets tied up, that the train and shuttle bus will beat the pants off the express bus. It is interesting to note that Capital Metro has not change the express bus schedule from Leander and Lakeland.
Understood and agreed. The point I was trying to make is that with changing times should come changing tactics, not only designed to prevent the usual acts of crime, but also acts of terrorism, and Capital Metro actually seemed to think this one through, for once. The old ideas of a paid transit police force is well and good, but in these times it needs to be supplanted with local law enforcement in active participation.
Allowing uniformed police to ride for free not only provides another layer of protection but also does so while keeping costs at a minimum for that service. That is one of the few smart things I have seen Cap Metro do recently.
And if the city subway system attracts criminals like a dog attracts fleas, then the idea of police on trains here in Austin is an even better idea than I first thought..
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