Travis County judge makes San Antonio-Austin rail among top priorities

A high-speed rail line in China offers a glimpse of what could be possible in Texas. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Karlbrix

As Travis County Judge Andy Brown runs for reelection, one of his top campaign priorities is building a train between Austin and San Antonio.

“You want trains; I want to give ‘em to you,” Brown wrote in a Threads post on Monday.

The judge continued: “A top priority for my office is building a passenger railway between Austin and San Antonio to free up transit on I-35, help thousands of between-county commuters and change the way we travel for the better.”

Even so, may not want to get their hopes up.

The Austin-San Antonio train idea has been around for decades, and it’s appeared to pick up steam in recent years. Last year, the Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, launched by Brown and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, began holding monthly meetings.

However, it remains to be seen how the new committee differs from the Lone Star Rail District, an earlier committee that sought to connect San Antonio and Austin. Despite paying out millions in consultant fees, the District never laid down a single foot of rail track.

And the primary obstacle that killed the Lone Star Rail District still remains.

Union Pacific still owns the primary rail line between San Antonio and Austin, and the company is likely still unwilling to expand passenger rail service on existing tracks unless a new freight bypass is built, as the Current has reported.

What’s more, it’s unclear whether the notoriously fiscally conservative Texas Legislature has any appetite for funding a high-speed rail project.

Sakai, who’s also running for reelection and faces a Democratic primary challenge from former Mayor Ron Nirenberg, has notably left a possible rail line to Austin out of his campaign platform.

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Travis County judge makes San Antonio-Austin rail among top priorities

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