After years of planning, the movement to establish Austin’s first light rail transit service recently hit its most significant milestone to date with Austin Transit Partnership’s (ATP) selection of the LINC Austin consortium to provide delivery partner services for the Austin Light Rail Phase 1 Project.
STV is proud to partner with AECOM, Parsons, Turner & Townsend, Ardmore Roderick and CAS Consulting to manage development of this light rail system – which was approved by 58% of voters in 2020 demonstrating the widespread demand for the system.
The nearly 10-mile, expandable, all-electric system will offer an all-new transit experience with trains expected to run every 5-10 minutes, connecting people to major job centers, education hubs and iconic Austin destinations. With 15 planned stations, the $7 billion project will integrate with cars, buses, commuter trains, bike lanes and other modes of transportation to navigate Austin. Additionally, the new line will extend along Austin’s East Riverside, adding much-needed transit infrastructure and enhanced walkability.
For STV, our involvement with Austin Light Rail Phase 1 demonstrates our organization’s long-standing commitment to enhancing mobility via light rail transit in many of the Lone Star State’s major economic centers.
The foundation of that commitment can be traced back nearly 30 years ago when STV, in joint venture, first started supporting the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART) for its Phase I and Phase II extensions. Following the initiation of the first 11.2 miles of DART’s 20-mile starter light rail system in 1996, STV was selected to provide program management, design and construction management services for the $1 billion Phase I build-out of the system. Consisting of 13 stations over a 25-mile route, the program extended DART service north from Dallas to the cites of Richardson, Plano and Garland. Over the course of the program, our team collaborated with the local community to see that each of the new stations reflected local values and history. That meant partnering with DART staff and community representatives to identify local artists to integrate unique patterns, materials and furnishings at each station.
A few years following Phase I’s completion in 2002, STV, as part of the ACT21 joint venture, provided similar services for DART’s Phase II extension. In this highly ambitious phase, STV helped deliver 46 miles of track and 26 new stations over a span of eight years. For comparison’s sake, it took approximately 18 years for DART to build the first 43 miles of its system. Beyond supporting the extension’s track alignment and stations, STV’s team provided design oversight and construction management services for a new vehicle maintenance and service/inspection facility to support DART’s rapid expansion.
Decades later, STV’s connection to the DART system is still going strong as the transit system prepares for further expansion. The DART Transform Program reimagines the needs of the local community so that the system better serves the region along every touch point of the rider’s journey across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This is a project that’s about more than infrastructure renewal – it aspires to improve the customer experience by focusing on safety, accessibility, performance, resilience and reliability.
In addition to Dallas, STV has long-standing ties to transit in Houston. The team was a key partner in the delivery of Houston’s METRORail, the city’s first passenger rail system since its previous streetcar system was shut down in 1960. STV served as the project management team for the light rail system’s initial 7.5-mile segment that runs from Houston’s Downtown to the Astrodome. Our team worked closely with METRO personnel to administer and oversee every component of the program, which encompassed 16 stations and a maintenance facility. Our team worked on a fast-track schedule and delivered the program in four years – a then-record for an FTA New Starts transit project – and10 months ahead of schedule.
Now the nation’s 10th most-traveled light rail system at about 42,200 users per weekday, STV’s support of Houston METRO continues to this day. As the General Engineering Consultant, STV has partnered with the agency to identify operational improvements to the system during the Texas Department of Transportation’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), which is reimagining the I-45 corridor in downtown and northern Houston. METRO anticipates about 80% of its bus, rail and HOV users will be impacted by NHHIP during construction. Additionally, the firm was just selected by METRO for the Bus Rapid Transit/Light Rail Transit (BRT/LRT) Professional Engineering Services contract. As the prime engineer leading a team of multiple partners in support of METRO, STV will improve the existing assets through upgrades and rehabilitation to extend safe and reliable services into the future.
With the Austin Transit Partnership recently moving forward on seeking partners to provide design and construction services for Austin Light Rail Phase 1, we anticipate that this program follow in the footsteps of DART and Houston METRO and make an indelible mark on Texas transit. Much like DART and METRO, Austin Light Rail is a transformative project that will enhance the city’s mobility options and support its continued growth.
