Austin - Amtrak station to Metro Rail

[Chey]

Anyone know where the nearest Metro Rail station to the Amtrak station is?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Anyone know where the nearest Metro Rail station to the Amtrak station is?

The closest Red Line Station to the Amtrak Station (W 5th and Lamar) is the downtown terminal by the Hilton Hotel and Convention Center on E. 4th Street and Trinity!
Its about 12 Blocks through heavy traffic so you might want to use a cab, Cap Metro Buses don't serve the Amtrak Station.

 

[City of Miami]

The Lamar bus used to stop by the YMCA - spitting distance to Amtrak. So did bus 3, Mancheca or however that was pronounced. I admit though after they got rid of the Dillos east-west routes were poor.

 

[Chey]

Thanks! I could likely handle 12 blocks but I don't know the neighborhood and besides, if the 22 is close to schedule I want to get to Metro Rail asap to catch the train I want...

FTW has me sold on intermodal stations - I just wish it had a lounge for sleeper car passengers! Just the same, I love the convenience of it and wish that other Amtrak towns (like Austin) had one.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks! I could likely handle 12 blocks but I don't know the neighborhood and besides, if the 22 is close to schedule I want to get to Metro Rail asap to catch the train I want...

Excellent idea, cabs meet the Eagle and its easy to call if more a needed! Traffic is really bad and its a tricky route to get to the Red Line Station!

I don't work for Uber or Lfyt! LOL

Both just got approval to operate in Austin so that's another option!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks! I could likely handle 12 blocks but I don't know the neighborhood and besides, if the 22 is close to schedule I want to get to Metro Rail asap to catch the train I want...

Excellent idea, cabs meet the Eagle and its easy to call if more a needed! Traffic is really bad and its a tricky route to get to the Red Line Station.

Lyft and Uber just got approval to operate legally in Austin, so that's another option! If you can help it don't plan on driving in Austin while here!!!

 

[Chey]

LOL, I can barely handle just driving through Austin on the interstate! That's why we're taking the train. I thought it would be fun to check out Metro Rail and someone recommended the red line. I just noticed you're from Austin, do you have any suggestions? I have no clue what's in Leander or on the way there, the journey is the main thing, not the destination. I'm totally open to going a different direction...

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Red Line only runs between Austin and Leander! ( it doesn't stop in Cedar Park where the tourist train the "Hill Country Flyer" runs out of on weekends)

It doesn't run on Sundays and quits @ 7pm except on Fri and Sats when it runs to midnight and parties go downtown! It can get really busy then and during rush hours! During the middle of the day its pretty much empty!!

The stations/stops on the 26 mile/1 Hour Route are as follows going East and then NW:

1)Downtown( terminal), By Convention Center and Hilton Hotel

2)Saltillo Plaza- lots of trendy clubs/cafes, condos etc in this rapidly gentrying area of Easy Austin

3)MLK- East Side/not much around/Commuters and Condos but rough away from Station area/ not recommended @ Night

4)Highland- Old Highland Mall Stop/ Now ACC Community College

5)Crestview-@_Lamar and Airport not far from Highland: Condos/Commuters and pubs and cafes

6)Kramer- Commuter stop on MoPac to Round Rock/nothing there!!

7)Howard- Similar to Kramer

8)Lakeline- Big transfer Point for Busses and Lakeline Mall/ lots of trains end here/ check schedule

9)Leander-Terminal/in West edge of town, Commuters and huge HEB/Shopping Center across Highway 183 and lots of New Subdivisions

Definitely worth a ride for the whole line,suggest you check the schedule and consider riding to Leander, then back to Lakeline stop if you want to spend some time take the bus to the Mall but its just a Mall ( included), then back to downtown. No other stops are recomnended except Saltillo Plaza and perhaps Highland to check out the new ACC Campus across street!

The Cap Metro Bus service in Austin sucks and getting worse due to traffic! Cabs, Uber and Lyft are the way to get around downtown!

 

[Chey]

Thanks again, Jim, that's pretty much what we wanted to know! We'll be going on a Tuesday, coming in from San Marcos, I don't think we have to be back at the Amtrak station till around 6 PM, so we may go to the mall; or we may just turn right around, come back and find our way to the capital, find our state senator and give him an earful :-D

 

[City of Miami]

Good to hear you're going to do that, Chey. When I lived in San Antonio sometimes I'd take the Eagle up to Austin in the morning to go to the dentist, or visit friends or sometimes just to go to Barton Springs Pool, and then the Eagle back to SA in the evening. It generally worked out pretty well though sometimes I'd get back really late. People were invariably amazed when I'd tell them this.

Then Megabus came along and it was WAY better in every way except that it wasn't a train!

 

[Chey]

I had to look up Megabus, I had never heard of it! It looks good! I'd like to know about your experiences with it. It looks like a great alternative, and a more convenient way to get to some places that would require several train (or Greyhound bus) changes. I'll read up on it, but the best gauge is personal experience, so I'd like to know yours if that's OK with you.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Mega Bus: I've ridden Mega Bus from Austin to Dallas ( actually it unloaded in Arlington but not sure now where it unloads in the Metro Plex?) for as little as $1, the most was $12.

They use Double Decker Busses ( check out the Non- Rail Transportation thread on AU, lots of info about Buses and Mega, Bolt,(NW/Greyhound Owned) Greyhound, Trailways etc) that I thought was comfortable for the 4 1/2 trip up I35 but wouldn't want to ride any farther, buses aren't my thing!

One thing, in most cities they load on the street or in parking lots,( here in Austin they load by UT in a parking lot) not bus stations. The WiFi worked well on the one I was on. When you book you do pay a booking fee,(on-line) it used to be $1.

I'd ride it again to the Metro Plex Houston or San Antonio but that's all I can tell you about Mega Bus!

 

[Chey]

Here's what I was looking at: I've wanted to check out the Crescent, ride it to DC. My starting point is the Fort Worth area (I'm in the panhandle, FTW is my starting point for most everything). To do that by train I have to take the Eagle to SAS, stay overnight in SAS, catch the SL to NOL, stay overnight in NOL and then catch the Crescent. But if I take Megabus from Grand Prairie to Houston I can avoid SAS. If I take Megabus to Atlanta, I can avoid both SAS and NOL. I don't know if I want to be on a bus that long, and only being allowed one piece of luggage is a big drawback, but not having to change trains or Greyhound buses is a big plus. Another alternative is driving to Slidell, parking somewhere for a week, and just taking the Crescent straight from there, but that's a pretty long drive for me. You can see why I haven't ridden the Crescent yet!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It's unfortunate that SAS and NOL have such poorly scheduled interchanging.