MetroRail to roll out weekend service for second anniversary

Ridership for the Red Line averages 1,800 boardings per day. The three stations with the highest ridership are Howard, Lakeline and Leander. Watson said part of that is probably because those three stations have park-and-rides, but she added those with the farthest to travel have the most to gain from riding on commuter lines.

MetroRail critics, especially former Urban Transportation Commission member Mike Dahmus, do not think it is equitable that the Lakeline Station and the Howard station are located so close to the Austin city limit with cities that do not contribute sales taxes to Cap Metro.

"These stations are right on the edge of the city," Dahmus said. "Most people don't backtrack very far to ride transit."

Dahmus contends that since Cedar Park withdrew from Capital Metro in 1998 and does not send any of its sales taxes to Capital Metro, Cedar Park residents should not have the convenience of Lakeline Station. Though the station is in Austin, it is quite close to the Cedar Park city limits.

Watson pointed out that passengers from non-member cities who take the train into Austin spend money in Austin, a portion of whose sales tax is captured by Capital Metro.

"Our job is focused on mobility, and whether they're visitors to the community, they're here for South By Southwest, they live in Cedar Park or some other nonmember community, our job is to ease the congestion and preserve the quality of life in this area, so we'll cater to everybody," Watson said.

Additional reporting by Amy Denney and Mitzie Stelte