San Antonio—The Texas Public Policy Foundation today issued a statement criticizing the proposed Austin/San Antonio Commuter Rail project.

This latest statement is being made upon completion of the official feasibility study of the commuter rail project conducted by consultants to the Texas Department of Transportation. The statement follows on the heels of the release of three studies sponsored by TPPF on transit in San Antonio, in Austin, and the national experience of commuter rail.

The statement is by Wendell Cox, an international transit expert and senior fellow of the Foundation who was the sponsor of an amendment that led to the construction of the light rail system in Los Angeles, CA. He was a three-term member of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission.

Cox and TPPF President Jeff Judson express great skepticism about the efficacy of commuter rail in Central Texas.

Judson stated, “Commuter Rail is not a sound transportation, air quality, or economic development strategy for central Texas. The numbers are not there.” In a memo to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Cox states:

 

Re: Austin-San Antonio Corridor Commuter Rail Feasibility Study I have reviewed the executive summary of the reference report and have the following initial observations:

 

  • The projection of 8,000 riders per day appears to be reasonable.

     

  • The projection of 8,000 riders per day is inconsequential. It would represent only a small percentage of the volume carried by a single freeway lane in the corridor (from 1/3 to 1/10th of the persons carried on a freeway lane in the corridor). The actual traffic reduction would be less, since not all riders would be people who would otherwise have driven automobiles in the corridor.

     

  • Commuter rail would be exceedingly expensive. It is estimated that the San Antonio to Georgetown commuter rail line would cost $475 million. According to TXDOT consultants, building a freeway lane in each direction would cost $425 million — $50 million less. Such a facility would move many times the passenger volume of the commuter rail line.

     

  • Nonetheless, the Austin-San Antonio Corridor project would be less expensive than some other similar projects, which are so costly that a new $65,000 luxury car could be leased for each new rider for less. In the Austin-San Antonio Corridor, the annual cost per former automobile driver carried is estimated at only $4,600 — not enough to lease a luxury car, but enough to lease a new Ford Taurus in perpetuity and pay the cost of gasoline for a round trip commute between San Antonio and Austin every work day.

These observations are subject to revision based upon a full analysis of the complete report. It is likely, however, that the conclusion of our national report (issued last week) will hold for this corridor — that the planning data and actual experience demonstrates commuter rail to be neither an effective nor an efficient strategy for reducing traffic congestion.