New testing for ever-delayed MetroRail

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Capital Metro will begin real-time rail testing Monday afternoon on the Red Line, which runs between Downtown Austin and Leanders.

The testing begins at 3 p.m. and will last until 8:30 p.m. The line passes multiple schools. The passenger rail cars have never run during afternoon-dismissal times before.

The transit agency leaders continue to claim the MetroRail will open in the first quarter of 2010, which would make the project two-years behind original projected schedules.

Capital Metro leaders have to fight a public-relations battle with the delayed opening of the $105-million MetroRail. Figures show the agency may be spending more on the line than what officials claim.

Capital Metro will also undergo a strict revamp of its board of directors in January 2010, conduct a nationwide search for a new president and try to keep a budget with declining sales tax revenue under check.