Since the late 1990s—even before the creation of Lone Star Rail District—state and local experts have been planning for passenger rail service in the Austin-San Antonio corridor. It’s been a long journey, but the benefits of the LSTAR promise to be worth the trip.

Rail and Transit Options in the SH130 Corridor (2008) Final Report (7.9 MB PDF)

In addition to the LSTAR route along the existing Union Pacific rail right-of-way along I-35, Lone Star Rail District performed a high-level “fatal flaw” analysis of whether passenger rail would be feasible along the newly constructed State Highway 130 corridor.

2004 Feasibility Study Update Executive Summary (1.4MB PDF) 2004 Feasibility Study Update Complete Study (28.4 MB PDF)

This study, conducted after the creation of Lone Star Rail District, revised and brought up to date the original 1999 Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail Study (see below). Key elements such as population projections, ridership estimates and project implementation costs are structured in a manner consistent with Federal Transit Administration requirements.

1999 Austin San Antonio Commuter Rail Study (External Website)

In the late 1990s, TxDOT and the Austin and San Antonio metropolitan planning organizations (CAMPO and SA-BC MPO), and the Austin and San Antonio transit authorities (Capital Metro and VIA) formed a regional partnership to fund and manage a feasibility study of passenger rail service on the existing Union Pacific freight line that parallels I-35 between Georgetown and San Antonio. The study concluded that a commuter rail system between Georgetown and San Antonio is technically and financially feasible. The study provided basic information on the proposed passenger rail system such as ridership forecasts, capital costs, rail operation costs and revenues, passenger stations and intermodal connections, financing scenarios, and Union Pacific freight demand and possible routes for relocating freight traffic. The study documents are available at the above link (from TxDOT).