Restart Lone Star Rail District

01/21/2024

Hey Central Texas! We're launching a regional mobility survey to get your thoughts about train service from San Antonio all the way to Austin and Georgetown. Take 5 minutes to fill it out and help us gather data about our region's transportation needs:

This survey was created by Restart Lone Star Rail District, an advocacy group pushing to bring fast, frequent, and reliable rail to the Austin-San Antonio region. The purpose of this survey is to measure demand for rail service in Central Texas, identify why people travel between cities, and gauge p...

11/10/2023

Hey everyone! We’re looking to recruit a volunteer team to help with social media, community outreach, and events planning. We need people ALL across the Central Texas corridor. If you’re interested, fill out the form linked in our bio and we’ll get in touch!

08/30/2023

75 percent of all public comments in response to TxDOT’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement were opposed to expanding I-35 through Central Austin, according to data TxDOT released on Monday, August 21. 544 commenters (16 percent of the total) specifically asked TxDOT to build a train connecting the cities on the I-35 corridor instead of expanding the highway, without being prompted.

The document includes responses to the thousands of comments about the $4.5 billion project, which is expected to displace 51 families, 59 businesses and 4 community facilities, 87 percent of which are in the Environmental Justice category. In response to comments asking TxDOT to build regional rail between San Antonio and Austin, TxDOT wrote the following:

“Connecting Austin to other major cities by rail is not included within the scope of this project. Regional rail has been considered in previous studies to improve I-35, such as the Planning and Environmental Linkages [PEL] Study in 2014. Regional rail was not recommended in this study because it would not create a dependable and consistent route for transit, emergency responders and other motorists.”

Read more about it on our website

08/27/2023

BIG NEWS! The Austin-based grassroots Rethink35 voted to join the Restart Lone Star Rail District coalition in mid-August. Rethink35 is fighting against the proposed I-35 expansion through Central Texas and advocating for a study of alternatives, including rerouting nonlocal traffic to SH-130 and replacing the highway with a boulevard. Read their statement below:

"Rethink35’s board has voted to become a coalition member of Restart Lone Star Rail District, an alliance of groups throughout Central Texas calling on the Capital Area MPO and Alamo Area MPO to establish passenger rail service between San Antonio and Austin. We believe that improved train travel contradicts the assertion that it is necessary to displace residents and local businesses for our transportation infrastructure.

Restart Lone Star Rail District’s vision is a regional rail system that would give an alternative to driving along the I-35 corridor, connecting Downtown Austin to neighborhoods on the North Side, Round Rock, and Georgetown to the north, and South Austin, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, New Braunfels, and San Antonio to the south. By joining the Restart coalition, we are endorsing the vision of inter-city and regional rail in Central Texas, which will provide the public with sustainable and efficient transportation options.

At the moment, Rethink35 will not appoint a committee member to Restart’s board, but we will work with Restart to ensure that our goals are represented as the vision for regional rail grows."

Stay tuned for more Restart-Rethink35 collaboration! Welcome to the coalition!

08/24/2023

Join us tomorrow at 7pm at the Cherrity Bar (302 Montana Street, San Antonio, TX)! Come talk about trains with and your local train fanatics!!

08/06/2023

The Parents' Climate Community, a grassroots group of Austin parents, families, and adult allies coming together around local climate action, voted to join the Restart Lone Star Rail Coalition on July 22, 2023. Read their statement below:

"The Parents’ Climate Community just became the first Austin-based organization to join the Restart Lone Star Rail coalition. As caregivers, we believe that investing in sustainable infrastructure like regional rail is a powerful tool for cultivating children’s safety, their connectedness and independence, and their right to a livable climate. Transforming how we get around the region is a matter of our legacy to future generations. It’s time for our leaders to restart planning for regional rail to ensure a healthy future for Central Texas kids."

Restart Lone Star Rail District is a grassroots organization building a coalition of advocacy groups, elected officials, and every-day citizens who want to see Central Texas connected with fast, frequent, and reliable passenger rail service. When a new group joins the coalition, they appoint a committee member who will vote on resolutions to shape our vision and advocacy. For the time being, Parents’ Climate Community will abstain from appointing a committee member, though their mission and goals will still be represented.

07/19/2023

Big news! Public Affairs representative from Union Pacific said that UP is open to considering new proposals for passenger rail in Central Texas. That means that and CAMPO can restart planning for passenger rail between the two metro areas.

In a call with Restart LSRD, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs Clint Schelbitzki said “if the MPOs want to go forward with something, we always look at new plans as new plans, not as things from 6 or 7 years ago,” referring to the failed Lone Star Rail Plan.

Good news: passenger rail is not doomed in Central Texas. Read more about it on our website here:

Union Pacific is open to considering new proposals for passenger rail connecting San Antonio and Austin, the Assistant Vice President of public affairs for Union Pacific, Clint Schelbitzki, said in a phone call with Restart LSRD founder Clay Anderson. “What I can say is if the MPOs want to go forw...

07/19/2023

NEW: Public Affairs representative from Union Pacific said that UP is open to considering new proposals for passenger rail in Central Texas. That means that and CAMPO can restart planning for passenger rail between the two metro areas.

In a call with Restart LSRD, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs Clint Schelbitzki said “if the MPOs want to go forward with something, we always look at new plans as new plans, not as things from 6 or 7 years ago,” referring to the failed Lone Star Rail Plan.

Good news: passenger rail is not doomed in Central Texas. Read more about it on our website.

06/29/2023

Read our new analysis about how rail between SA and Austin would help alleviate congestion on I-35. According to data from a recently published master's thesis, traffic volumes could decrease by more than 20 percent between the two cities.

No matter if you're a driver or a transit-rider, everyone benefits from passenger rail in Central Texas.

Implementing a high quality rail service in Central Texas would speed up all modes of travel in the region, including driving on I-35, according to a recent master's thesis. The study’s traffic simulation model revealed that more than 4 million trips between Austin and San Antonio would shift from...

06/19/2023

Big news! San Antonians for Rail Transit voted last night to endorse our campaign to restart the Lone Star Rail District! SART is an advocacy group dedicated to promoting safe, effective rail options at every level for San Antonio. With their endorsement, they will appoint one member to RESTART LSRD’s board, helping us to make decisions and guide advocacy work. Welcome to the umbrella, SART, and let’s work together to make San Antonio and Central Texas better places to live!

Visit SART’s website at railforsanantonio.com.

05/25/2023

According to TxDOT, there were 73 fatal crashes on I-35 between Bexar and Williamson Counties in 2022. That's one deadly crash every 5 days.

We made an interactive map to show the locations of each crash. Highways are dangerous, but rail service would provide Central Texans with a way to travel in peace.

May 23, 2023 According to TxDOT's 2022 crash data, there were 73 fatal crashes on I-35 between Bexar County and Williamson County in just one year. That's one deadly crash every five days. The map above shows the locations of each fatal crash on I-35 in 2022. Highways are dangerous, but there's a sa...

05/15/2023

Happy Mother’s Day! Does your mom worry about you driving on I-35 between Austin and San Antonio? Mine does, and and she’d be much happier if I was safe on a train instead of in a car. Sign our petition if your mom also worries about you driving!