On July 31, 2006, Capital Metro announced it would build a train station in Leander at a cost of $711,000. Construction began in the fall. In March 2010, Capital Metro began Red Line service in mornings and evenings between Leander and Austin, and in January 2011, Capital Metro added midday service. In February 2012 the Capital Metro board of directors approved expanding service times to include weekends.

In 2013 an average of 2,762 riders used the MetroRail on weekdays. An average of 309 people boarded a train and 203 people got off a train at the Leander station on weekdays, according to Capital Metro. Total MetroRail ridership was about 767,000 in 2013, and in 2014 total ridership had reached 526,557 trips by the end of May, according to Capital Metro.