CapMetro CEO apologizes for rail line delays at Austin FC match
AUSTIN, Texas - The CEO of CapMetro is apologizing after rail customers experienced service delays following Saturday night's Austin FC game.
CapMetro acknowledged that there were service delays due to very crowded trains heading to and from Q2 Stadium for Austin FC's season-opening game against Minnesota United.
Officials posted an apology for the delays on Saturday night, saying that CapMetro was "using every available train to move our customers as quickly as possible."
On Sunday, CapMetro CEO Dottie Watkins posted a thread on X apologizing for the delays before and after the game.
Watkins said that CapMetro moved "record numbers of people, over 4000 customers, on the CapMetro Red Line" during the game. Watkins said that this was nearly double the passenger count of previous Austin FC matches.
"To every customer that was affected by delays or was frustrated by lack of clarity in our communication about the challenges we were experiencing, I sincerely apologize," Watkins said.
This comes after CapMetro celebrated the grand opening of a new rail line station near Q2 Stadium on Saturday morning.
The new McKalla Station in north Austin, located just yards from Q2 Stadium's Zebra gate, took a year and a half and $60 million to complete.
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"The $60 million investment we celebrated yesterday morning is not something that will let our community down," Watkins said in her thread on X. "It will enhance how we move people, improve placemaking, and support our region's vitality for years to come."
Watkins says that all CapMetro Rail rides will be fare-free for customers taking the Red Line on March 9, the next Austin FC home match and the second day of the 2024 South by Southwest conference.