Three years after a groundbreaking ceremony that led to no actual construction, Capital Metro is putting plans back on track to build a new commuter rail station near the Domain. But the project’s price tag has ballooned, and the transit agency will pay more than triple what it had originally planned.
Broadmoor Station was originally expected to cost $24 million, split evenly between CapMetro and Brandywine Realty Trust, the developer of the massive Uptown ATX mixed-use development where the station will be located.
But after pandemic-related delays and rising construction costs, the total cost has climbed to $49.3 million. CapMetro is covering the increase, with its share jumping from $12 million to $37.3 million. Brandywine’s contribution remains capped at the original $12 million commitment.
Nathan Bernier/ KUT News. A group of local officials, including former CapMetro CEO Randy Clarke, hit railroad spikes with tiny sledgehammers at a groundbreaking ceremony for Broadmoor Station held in January 2022. The project would sit on ice for more than three years.
The station will be embedded in the 66-acre Uptown ATX development, within walking distance of restaurants, bars and shopping. The Domain’s Rock Rose entertainment district is about a half-mile away. CapMetro expects the Broadmoor Station will be the second busiest stop on the Red Line after Downtown Station, according to pre-COVID forecasts.
CapMetro staff say the revised deal reflects post-COVID realities of a deal negotiated before the pandemic hit.
Cap Metro. Broadmoor Station will be situated on the Red Line about a half-mile north of the existing Kramer Station, which will be shut down after Broadmoor opens.
“As with most construction, costs have escalated significantly post-pandemic,” CapMetro’s Chief of Staff Cheyenne Conyer explained to the transit agency’s board of directors in an email this month. “Additionally, Brandywine approached CapMetro to renegotiate the terms of the original agreement as their post-pandemic financial picture solidified.”
The delay was tied in part to the broader slowdown in commercial development during the pandemic, which stalled Uptown ATX and delayed permitting. CapMetro’s operations committee approved the revised agreement last week, with a full board vote expected Monday.
Construction is now set to begin this winter with Broadmoor Station opening by late 2027. It will replace the nearby Kramer Station, which will be decommissioned once Broadmoor is up and running. Broadmoor and the $60 million McKalla Station at Q2 Stadium just south of Kramer are part of the Project Connect transit expansion funded by a property tax increase approved by voters in 2020.
Brandywine will manage construction and be paid a 5% fee, capped at $2.25 million. It will provide more than 200 shared parking spaces for Red Line riders for at least three years. As part of the renegotiated deal, the park-and-ride could be extended by two years if the spaces are still available.
Five nearby landowners donated property for the project valued at about $20 million.
CapMetro board member Eric Stratton acknowledged some concerns about cost but defended the project.
“The two biggest things I hear from folks in Williamson County, my neck of the woods, ‘If that train could just get us two places: the airport and the Domain,'” Stratton said at a meeting last week. “I can’t get you to the airport, folks, but I can sure work to get you to the Domain on this train.”
This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.
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Capital Metro: The city’s urban transportation system.
MetroRail Red Line: Capital Metro's Red Line is Austin's sole commuter rail, which runs between Downtown Austin and Leander.
