Texas Star Triangle

Austin, TX

Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Round Rock, TX (16.5 mi).

About Austin

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 12th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, and second-most populous U.S.

Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.

Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)

⚠️ All figures below are parametric estimates scaled from the proposal's own budget ($8.5T ÷ 17,000 mi ≈ $500M per mile), not engineering quotes. Methodology is shown so you can check the math.

Item	Basis	Estimate
Terminal construction	Large-city terminal — 1–4M metro ($2–4B range)	$3B
Land acquisition	Regional factor 1.2× on $200M base	$240M
Track: Austin → Round Rock	16.5 mi × $500M/mi	$8.2B
Annual operations (share)	Staffing, power, maintenance	$60M/yr
Stop total (excl. annual ops)		$11.5B

Best terminal location (proposed)

the existing Amtrak station district at 250 N. Lamar, west of downtown. The site is already rail-served and steps from downtown and the Seaholm district. Project Connect's planned light-rail lines converge nearby, giving a ready last-mile network. It captures the central-city and University of Texas demand core better than any greenfield site could.

Before / after

Before and after aerial mock-up of the proposed maglev terminal at Austin, TX

Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.

🛤️ Infill stops toward Round Rock: the proposal envisions more stops than cities — smaller stations between majors. Plausible infills on this leg:

Pflugerville — I-35 corridor suburb, heavy commuter ridership.
Wells Branch — established community directly on the I-35 alignment.
Brushy Creek — fast-growing area at the Round Rock approach.

← All 287 stops