TLDR
Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) said on Nov. 10, 2026 that it is starting planning for a light rail extension to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The extension would run about 3 miles from Yellow Jacket Station on East Riverside Drive to one station at the airport, on a mostly elevated structure.
ATP expects the planning work to take about 9 to 12 months.
The Federal Transit Administration agreed to a streamlined environmental review.
No cost, funding plan or opening date has been announced.
Phase 1 of Austin Light Rail is 9.8 miles with 15 stations. ATP's schedule shows service opening in 2033.
Austin Transit Partnership told its board in a Nov. 10, 2026 memo that staff will begin planning an Austin Light Rail extension to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. ATP also posted an announcement the same day.
An Austin Light Rail vehicle. Rendering courtesy of Austin Transit Partnership (@atp_org).
The extension
The memo describes an approximately 3-mile, mostly elevated structure from Yellow Jacket Station on East Riverside Drive to one station at the airport. Yellow Jacket is the planned end of Phase 1.
ATP's May 2023 implementation plan named Yellow Jacket to the airport a Priority Extension, along with 38th Street to Crestview.
Planning work
The memo lists three activities:
Design coordination with the airport, so a future light rail station is integrated into the design of the new Arrivals and Departures Hall. ATP will also work with the airport and TxDOT on planned improvements along SH 71.
A new National Environmental Policy Act review with the Federal Transit Administration. The memo says the FTA agreed to a streamlined process that allows ATP to produce an Environmental Assessment.
A cost estimate, and an analysis of when ATP's Proposition A contract revenue budget could cover the extension. ATP will also look at other funding, including federal support.
ATP expects the work to take approximately 9 to 12 months. The memo is from Jennifer Pyne, executive vice president for planning, community and federal programs, and Lindsay Wood, executive vice president for design and construction.
Airport project
The airport's expansion program page says the new Arrivals and Departures Hall will be built where the Red Garage and the current drop-off and pick-up lanes on Presidential Boulevard are located. It will include ticketing and check-in, a centralized TSA checkpoint and a new baggage claim hall.
The hall is in the design phase. Austin City Council authorized $45 million for engineering and architectural services and $820 million for pre-construction and construction services. The page estimates an opening in the early 2030s.
"We are proactively preserving the necessary right-of-way and coordinating with our design teams to integrate a future rail station into the airport," airport spokesperson Jim Reynolds told Community Impact.
The new Arrivals and Departures Hall. Pre-design conceptual rendering courtesy of the City of Austin (@AusAirport).
Journey With AUS program map, October 2026, showing the general locations of each airport project. Map courtesy of the City of Austin (@AusAirport).
Phase 1
Austin Light Rail Phase 1 is 9.8 miles with 15 stations. ATP's project schedule lists construction and testing from 2027 to 2033 and service opening in 2033. ATP notes the schedule is for planning purposes and depends on contractor input and the federal funding process.
The Nov. 10 memo says ATP is working toward beginning early works construction in 2027.
Why it matters for Austin
ATP's memo says extending light rail to the airport was the number one comment it received from Austinites during the Phase 1 environmental review. Phase 1 ends at Yellow Jacket Station, about 3 miles from the airport.
Follow Austin Transit Partnership on Instagram at @atp_org and at atptx.org. The airport is at @AusAirport and flyaustin.com.
Sources
Austin Transit Partnership announcement (Nov. 10, 2026)
Austin Transit Partnership project schedule and light rail page (viewed Nov. 12, 2026)
City of Austin, Journey With AUS expansion program page (viewed Nov. 12, 2026)
Community Impact (Nov. 10, 2026)
CBS Austin (Nov. 10, 2026)
