AUSTIN (KXAN) – CapMetro said it was hosting a celebration ceremony Saturday afternoon after it was awarded more than $65 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration for the new CapMetro Rapid lines.
The grants were specifically for the Pleasant Valley and Expo Center CapMetro Rapid lines, as part of the Project Connect program, according to CapMetro.
During the ceremony, CapMetro said speakers would discuss the importance of the grants and how they would help with the building and construction of the lines.
According to CapMetro, the FTA will also be presenting two ceremonial checks that represent each grant.
The two CapMetro Rapid lines are expected to be operational in 2025, and according to CapMetro, they would consist of a fully zero-emissions fleet.
“The Pleasant Valley line will travel from the Mueller Neighborhood to Goodnight Ranch and the Expo Center line will travel from East Austin to Downtown Austin,” CapMetro said. “Route features include priority lanes, transit signal priority, queue jumps, enhanced and improved stations and higher frequency operations.”
CapMetro said U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez would be among those speaking at the event.
Other speakers include:
Jeff Travillion, CapMetro Board Chair and Travis County Commissioner
Paige Ellis, Austin Mayor Pro Tem and CapMetro Board Member
Veronica Castro de Barrera, Austin Transit Partnership Board Chair
Dottie Watkins, CapMetro President & CEO