Austin’s residential and visitor population is surging, creating traffic jams in a city that just a few years ago had none. But public and private business interests are now planning a $7 billion voter-approved light rail plan that will include a nearly 10-mile, on-street rail line through downtown Austin, beginning at 38^th and Guadalupe streets and traveling south before splitting on the other side of Lady Bird Lake.

© WAX Architectural Vizualizations

These two light rail lines through the center of downtown will move people faster than the speed of traffic through the densest part of the city. The plan also includes more than 4 miles of subway tunnels through downtown and south Austin.

Plans are only 15 percent complete, so a lot could still change, with Austin residents having a chance to weigh in again on the project this summer. Austin Light Rail is more than just a transit project, however; it is also a transformative vision for the city’s future that redefines urban mobility through a world-class urban and architectural design. Led by Austin Transit Partnership in collaboration with UNStudio, HKS and Gehl, the system is designed to connect Austin communities, enhance public space and integrate with the city’s evolving urban fabric.

© WAX Architectural Vizualizations

“One of the benefits of creating a light rail system from scratch is that we’re not jerry-rigging any kind of legacy system,” said Peter Mullan, chief of Architecture and Urban Design, ATP. “We can look to the best light rail systems globally and then build them here in Austin. Our local planners are looking around the world for ideas on the best rail station designs, including the stations in the Dutch city of Delft and Sydney, Australia. All the new downtown stations on Austin Light Rail, except for the one west of the Texas Capitol, will be linked by a walkable underground concourse that will include shopping.”

One of the ideas for the Blue Line, which will start at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, sees the line cross a bridge over Lady Bird Lake and go underground before arriving at a station on Trinity Street just south of Cesar Chavez Street. That part of the system is estimated to begin revenue service as early as 2029.

Austin Light Rail Phase 1 will provide access to some of the city’s most-visited destinations, connecting locals and visitors to places they need and want to go for work and play, like University of Texas Downtown, Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lake Bird Lake, East Riverside and South Congress.

The line will also add a new bridge across Lady Bird Lake, creating a faster and more reliable way to cross the river during peak travel times. This bridge will also include an additional path for pedestrians and cyclists. Light rail will have its own dedicated railway, intuitive directions and run every 5–10 minutes, making it highly dependable and easy to use. Light rail will bring new hotels and restaurants throughout the city, including Element Austin, Tru by Hilton Austin South, Green Pastures Hotel in 2025; 1 Hotel Austin and Hotel Trinity in 2026; and Graduate Austin in 2027.