Austin, TX

Austin Light Rail: Austinites get closer look at project

Published

11 months ago

January 17, 2025

Austin Light Rail: Austinites get closer look at project

Austinites get closer look at light rail

The new light rail system is on track to start construction in Austin in 2027. It is part of the project connect transit plan.

AUSTIN, Texas – The new light rail system is on track to start construction in Austin in 2027. It is part of the project connect transit plan.

On Thursday, residents were able to get a look at images of the light rail stops across the nearly 10-mile stretch.

Austin Light Rail: New images, renderings provide insight into project

What is the Austin Light Rail?

Update on Austin’s Light Rail project

The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) released new renderings and a draft environmental impact statement highlighting the impact the Light Rail will have on traffic, property, acquisitions, air quality, and the environment.

What we know:

According to ATP, the Light Rail System will service an estimated 28,000 riders on a weekday.

A draft environmental impact statement highlighting the impact the light rail will have on traffic, property, acquisitions, air quality, and the environment was made available for residents to view.

“We have a lot of new information to show. We’ve been working diligently over the past year and a half since we last had public meetings in February 2024. We’re here to show how we have worked that into the design and the analysis that is underway,” says ATP spokesperson Jennifer Pyne.

The Austin Transit Partnership set up a display that gives block-by-block visuals of the light rail system and the 15 stops along the 9.8-mile stretch.

“We are proposing a very reliable, frequent service that runs through the center of Austin to UT out East Riverside, down South Congress. The light rail project will include the introduction of light rail in the street, but also looking at how bikeways and sidewalks and trees would all fit into the streetscape as well,” says Pyne.

Photo courtesy: Austin Transit Partnership

Local perspective:

The open house gave residents the opportunity to weigh in on the city’s decision to add the transit system that was approved by voters in 2020.

“I did not, although a lot of people I know did and that was to happen, but the current proposal is almost identical to the one that was rejected by the voters in 2014. I don’t really like the idea. I think, you know, the project is so expensive, and it will serve so few people that it’s really not worth that kind of investment,” says Austin resident Larry Acres.

“For the most part, I really like it. But there are still concerns about safety, about noise, about vibration and stuff like that. Austin is such a great area. Light rail would be fabulous. I just want to make sure we don’t rush into it,” says Austin resident Mary Fealkoff.

What’s next:

The feedback from the meeting will be used to add to the environmental impact statement for the project to receive federal funding.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Tan Radford

AustinTransportation

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Austin, TX

Southwest Airlines establishing new crew base in Austin

Published

2 minutes ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Southwest Airlines establishing new crew base in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas (KVIA) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that Southwest Airlines will establish a new pilot and flight attendant crew base in Austin.

Abbott joined the Austin mayor at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to make the announcement today.

The expansion to Austin will lay the groundwork for future operational growth in Texas. It is expected to generate 2,000 jobs in Austin by mid-2027. In addition to the pilots and flight attendants, Austin will now also be home to managerial and support staff. The new crew base will have an average salary of $180,000 a year, the Governor’s Office says.

The state is extending a $14 million Texas Enterprise Fund to the airline, as well as a $375,000 Veteran Created Job Bonus.

“Southwest Airlines was born and raised in Texas and has been a core element of the economic growth we have seen in our state,” said Governor Abbott. “We are excited to announce that today Southwest Airlines will add over 2,000 high paying jobs right here in Texas. We are the home of economic opportunity for our fellow Texans more than any other state in the United States, and we know a key reason for that is because of everything Southwest Airlines provides. We are proud to partner with everybody connected with Southwest as well as the City of Austin on such a huge announcement for our state.”

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Austin, TX

Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop

Published

12 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin firefighters battled their second major fire Thursday afternoon, responding to an abandoned East Austin auto shop engulfed in flames.

Crews responded to 3100 Manor Road around 4 p.m., AFD said.

No injuries were reported and no one was inside the building.

ALSO | 40+ residents displaced in North Austin third-alarm apartment fire, no injuries reported

The incident was called in as a first alarm. The building is a total loss, according to officials.

CBS Austin has a crew on the way to the scene.

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Earlier in the afternoon, firefighters extinguished a three-alarm fire in north Austin.

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Austin, TX

Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit

AUSTIN, Texas – The suspect in a violent road rage incident on the Capital of Texas Highway has been identified and charged, according to court paperwork.

The altercation was caught on camera.

What we know:

34-year-old Ian Kevin Brinkmeyer has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor, in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.

At around 2 p.m. that day, officers responded to a call for service on Capital of Texas Highway, where they spoke with Brinkmeyer and another man.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer “engaged in a road rage” with the other man while traveling north on Capital of Texas Highway. Brinkmeyer drove around the other man, changed lanes in front of him and cut him off before stopping his car.

Brinkmeyer then allegedly got out of his vehicle holding a “steel knife sharpening rod”, walked over to the other man’s car and struck the driver’s side door window with the rod, shattering the entire window.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer then quickly walked back to his car and drove off.

The entire incident was caught on video by other drivers and posted on social media.

The affidavit says that the repairs to the shattered window cost about $480, making this a case of criminal mischief with a value between $100 and $750.

What’s next:

A warrant has been issued for Brinkmeyer’s arrest. As of 12 p.m. Dec. 11, he is not in custody.

The Source: Information in this report comes from court paperwork and previous reporting.

Crime and Public SafetyAustin

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