Austin, TX
CapMetro approves sweeping plan to reshape Austin’s public transit network
Capital Metro’s board of directors voted Monday to overhaul nearly every bus and rail line in the region as part of a decade-long blueprint known as Transit Plan 2035. It’s the biggest shuffling of the transit system since a controversial 2018 change known as “Cap Remap.” But it won’t happen overnight, and not everyone is on board.
Transit Plan 2035 is meant to deliver on delayed Project Connect promises and prepare the system for a light-rail line scheduled to open in 2033.
Over the next decade, CapMetro will shrink its bus network from 61 to 55 routes and run those remaining lines more frequently and later into the night while adding more east-west connections.
“What excites me the most and what quite frankly I’m most proud of is that we’ve found a way to improve our services without having more money,” CEO Dottie Watkins told the board before the vote. “This plan demonstrates fiscal responsibility while still expanding opportunity.”
The first five years focus on catching up with Project Connect, the largest transit expansion in Austin’s history. The voter-approved plan has faced multiple delays but so far has survived lawsuits and state legislation aimed at cutting off the property tax revenue that funds more bus service and the city’s first modern light-rail system.
CapMetro’s immediate priorities under Transit Plan 2035 include boosting frequency on the newest pair of Rapid lines to every 10 minutes, opening park-and-rides at Expo Center and Goodnight Ranch and finally adding a new Red Line stop near the Domain.
Construction on that new train station — now called North Burnet/Uptown — is expected to start in November and take about two years. The stop, previously known as Broadmoor, was supposed to open in 2024. Delays have pushed CapMetro’s share of the cost to $37.3 million, more than triple the original estimate.
The new transit map also doubles frequency on Airport Boulevard’s Route 350, cutting waits from 30 minutes to 15 and extending the line to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The plan will add new east-west lines on Rundberg Lane and Oltorf Street, connections Watkins said riders have asked for “loud and clear.”
But those gains come with tradeoffs. Several lower-ridership routes — including 5 Woodrow, 233 Decker/Daffan and 237 Northeast Feeder — will be discontinued or folded into on-demand Pickup service.
The same goes for several “flyer” routes that provide direct service between neighborhoods and downtown or the UT Austin campus. The 103 Manchaca Flyer, 105 South 5th Flyer, 111 South MoPac Flyer and 142 Metric Flyer are among the routes slated to be discontinued.
Michael Minasi
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KUT News
CapMetro board member Paige Ellis, who’s also a city council member representing Southwest Austin, cast the lone vote against Transit Plan 2035.
Ellis said she supports the plan’s overall goals but worries eliminating flyer routes would make it harder for her constituents to reach downtown. She pointed to other Project Connect delays, like a planned rapid route into Oak Hill that hasn’t been designed yet.
“My concerns around Southwest Austin have put me in a position where I feel like I’m being asked to vote away the service that we currently have,” Ellis said. “But I know there’s many other things about this transit plan that are bringing a lot of great reliability and service into other parts of the region.”
The gradual rollout means the changes will appear in phases through the next decade, and big adjustments to routes would still need to be approved by the CapMetro board.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) received a $10,000 donation and 30 pet beds on Thursday.
The donation was from Robert Thiele, an Amazon delivery driver and owner of Clark Courier Services, which was named in honor of his late bulldog, Clark, who passed away this spring after a battle with cancer.
“I named Clark Courier Services after Clark because just like our drivers, he delivered smiles every single day. In a world full of best friends, Clark was the bestest,” said Thiele.
According to Amazon, the donated pet beds were given a second life through Amazon Re:Turn, which repurposes textiles from customer returns that could not be resold or donated.
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Amazon delivers $10,000 donation and pet beds to APA! (KXAN photo/Tim Holcomb)
As a surprise for Thiele, APA! unveiled memorial plaques dedicated to Clark on shelter kennels, which were inscribed with his name and the words “forever delivering.”
“Our Delivery Service Partners are local, small business owners embedded in the communities they serve. Robert’s been delivering in Austin for nearly seven years, and he’s not just moving packages. He’s showing up for the people, the pets, and the neighborhoods around him. That’s what this program is about,” said Emma Crowley, Amazon spokesperson. “Today, we got to give a little back to someone who has and will continue to give so much to others.”
Almost one year ago today, the Texas Longhorns found themselves in the losers’ bracket of their own regional, falling to the No. 3 seed UTSA Roadrunners in the 2025 Austin Regional.
For just a brief moment, it looked as if history was going to repeat itself once again, as the No. 3-seeded Tarleton State Texans got another chance at an upset, beating the Longhorns back in the regular season, 6-1, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
But today, history was not going to repeat itself — the team that the Texans saw in the regular season was a different animal than the iteration in the winners’ bracket. Under another furious day at the plate for Texas, and an outstanding night on the mound for Dylan Volantis, Texas was not going to fall into the losers’ bracket for a second consecutive year.
“Obviously that guy on the mound, he’s one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in college baseball for a reason,” said Tarleton State head coach Fuller Smith about Volantis. “We didn’t do a very good job, and I don’t know if we would beat anybody tonight, to be honest.”
Longhorns Look Unstoppable
If the past two days proved anything, Texas is playing its best baseball at the most crucial time of the season — in all three fronts of the game.
After a poor showing in the Southeastern Conference tournament by the Longhorns’ top three hitters. Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney, and Anthony Pack Jr. have carried the brunt of the Texas offense in the postseason.
In the second inning alone, the trio rocketed three straight home runs to put the Texans down an early 6-0 hole, a deficit they would not come out of.
“I remember when I stepped on home plate [Anthony] Pack Jr. greeted me at home,” Tinney said. I looked at him, I was like, ‘It’s your turn now.’ And then two pitches later, he sent one out.”
Defensively, the Longhorns’ outfield, which struggled trying to find the right combination, has finally found the right grouping in Robbins, Pack Jr., and Dariyan Pendergrass.
Robbins and Pendergrass both were able to come up with deep fly ball grabs in the past two games. In the infield, missing core member Ethan Mendoza at second base, nonetheless, has yet to skip a beat.
“Pendergrass is a pretty veteran player, he’s been around the block a few times in college baseball,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Aiden has been a great teammate — Pack [Jr.] has improved greatly over the course of time.”
However, the real star of the regional so far has been the dominance on the mound from starters Luke Harrison and Volantis.
In the regional defining game, Volantis had no issue tossing up the Tarleton State order, who found great success against UC-Santa Barbara in the opening game. The sophomore pitcher lasted 6.2 innings, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing just three hits on the night.
With the giant lead by the time Volantis was pulled in the sixth inning, the Longhorns still have not used any of their premier relief arms in this regional.
“Those two innings were definitely helpful [in the SEC Tournament],” Volnatis said. “I definitely could have done the same without those two innings today.”
Texas now awaits a third rematch with Tarleton State or UC Santa Barbara and will not have to face either of their premier arms — notably Guachos pitcher Jackson Flora, a surefire first-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft.
The Longhorns will roll with Ruger Riojas tomorrow night and likely unload its best arms who have not seen action since the final regular season series against Missouri to seal up their first regional victory in three seasons.
“It’s always good to stay in the winner’s bracket and avoid those moments, but we haven’t won anything yet. We won two games,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m certainly excited about how we played to this point and yes, I’m glad we don’t have to play two tomorrow, but the tournament’s not over.”
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AUSTIN, Texas — One person is dead but has not been identified after the Austin Police Department responded to the scene of a deceased person call in South Austin Saturday afternoon.
According to officials, a deceased person was located in a parking lot just at around 12:25 p.m. at the 4400 Block of Pack Saddle Pass after officers responded to a check welfare urgent call.
The victim was pronounced deceased at 12:36 p.m. The incident is being investigated as a suspicious death, it is not being investigated as a homicide.
ALSO: I-35 frontage road at Williams Drive reopens after rollover crash with serious injuries
The identity of the victim is still unknown, and the age and sex of the victim has not been released.
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Anyone with information that could help the investigation is encouraged to call the APD homicide unit at 512-477-3588 or APD Crimestoppers at 512-472-8477.
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