MetroRail sneak peek with speedy ride

AUSTIN (KXAN) - People get an inside look Monday at the new Capital Metro Commuter Rail. A media open house was held Monday afternoon starting from the station near U.S. Highway 183 and Burnet Road in North Central Austin. Six cars were available for boarding, and they will officially start shuttling passengers later this month.

The track runs 32 miles from Leander to Downtown Austin near the Austin Convention Center, and at times, the train reached close to 60 mph while traveling from North Austin to Leander. The train comes with Internet capabilities.

Announcements on board are made in English as well as in Spanish, and there are a few tables for commuters to use that have a flat surface to work on. For commuters with bicycles, there is storage available for that.

The cars hold about 100 people, but standing room only would allow about 200 commuters. If you plan to ride the rail, it will cost about $1 to $1.50 each way.

Though there was a possibility the rail would not start running on its scheduled March 30 date due to a few federal hiccups, those problems were ironed out. Below is a sneak peek at the inside of the commuter rail:

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