Capital Metro will implement changes to its Commuter services beginning Sunday, Jan. 7 that will offer riders greatly enhanced alternatives to driving alone to work. These service changes are the culmination of years-long long processes and take advantage of both the MoPac Express Lanes and the rail improvements the agency has put in place.
Increased capacity for MetroRail
As a result of improvements to MetroRail put in place over the past few years, Capital Metro will now be able to increase capacity of the service. The agency will add three trips in the morning and another three in the evening in an effort to provide better service and alleviate overcrowded trains. The paired trips are as follows:
From Leander Station in the Morning
- 6:51 a.m. and 6:56 a.m.
- 7:27 a.m. and 7:32 a.m.
- 8:03 a.m. and 8:08 a.m.
From Downtown Station in the Evening
- 4:17 p.m. and 4:22 p.m.
- 4:53 p.m. and 4:58 p.m.
- 5:29 p.m. and 5:34 p.m.
50 percent more service on MetroExpress
Free access to MoPac's managed lanes will allow Capital Metro to offer increased service on MetroExpress Commuter routes.
Two routes (new Route 981 Oak Knoll Express and Route 985 Leander/Lakeline Direct) will use the Express Lanes to bypass traffic congestion and serve downtown Austin directly. The 985 will also add trips and operate bi-directionally throughout the day rather than just as a Commuter route into downtown in the morning and back north again in the evening.
Two other routes (Route 982 Pavilion Express and Route 987 Leander/Lakeline Express) will serve the 38th Street medical area first before heading south toward the UT campus, the Capitol and downtown. The 982 will also add more trips and operate bi-directionally throughout the day.
Additional service adjustments
Other changes include the addition of morning trips to Route 7, in direct response to the popularity of the route and to relieve overcrowding, and the discontinuation of Premium passes. Capital Metro eliminated the Premium fare category in January 2017, but some of those passes were still in circulation, so riders have been able to use them still. That won't be the case beginning Jan. 7.
In addition, schedules for Routes 214, 243, 464, 465 and 466 — all of which serve the train stations — will adjust with the new MetroRail schedules.
