Round Rock wants a commuter rail route

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) - Round Rock's Public Works staff decided to consider a rail line. The Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail district hopes to build a 110 mile commuter rail line from Georgetown to San Antonio. Tom Word, the head of Public Works for the City of Round Rock, said the agency has been pursuing Round Rock and wants the city to join their group. If Round Rock moves forward and joins the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail district, it would cost the city about $50,000 a year.

One issue is the proposed route only has one stop in Round Rock, and that stop is away from the majority of the city's activity. Round Rock has come up with its own new plan. The system would have two different phases.

The first phase would have two trains and go from Texas 45 North Tollway just east of Interstate 35 to past the Loop 1 Tollway about a mile west of Loop 1. The rail line would continue to Texas 45 North's eastbound lanes. It would ultimately connect to Capital Metro's Red line . The City of Round Rock would buy self-propelled trains like the ones Capital Metro with begin running in March. Those trains would make trips to and from Downtown Austin. The second phase would go east along the tollway to Schultz Lane.

A major roadblock, however, is there is no outlined funding source.