Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) is accelerating planning for a proposed extension of Austin Light Rail to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Work is being coordinated alongside the airport’s expansion programme.
The proposed extension would connect the future Yellow Jacket Station on East Riverside Drive to the airport over a distance of approximately three miles (4.8 km). The route would run primarily on an elevated structure, terminating at a planned station at AUS.
ATP identified the airport connection as a priority project in its Light Rail Implementation Plan, adopted in May 2023. The latest planning work aims to coordinate the extension with other infrastructure investments across the region and prepare for its integration into the wider light rail network.
The planning process is progressing alongside development of Austin Light Rail Phase 1. ATP has advanced the first phase through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) programme, completing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in less than two years.
As part of the next steps for the airport extension, ATP will initiate a streamlined Environmental Assessment in coordination with the FTA.
The proposed connection is intended to extend Austin’s light rail network to the airport, providing a public transport link for passengers, airport employees and other travellers.
