MetroRail Watch

Monday was a big day for Capital Metro. The transit agency began a two-week test run of its MetroRail line, with trains running regularly scheduled, full-speed trips between Downtown and Leander. If all goes well, Cap Metro expects to begin service by the end of the month, if not sooner.

Monday also saw the release of schedules for the shuttle buses that will take passengers from the MLK MetroRail station to the Capitol complex and UT campus. We'll take all of this activity as a sign that the rail opening is actually moving ever closer. (Which isn't to say the shuttles are a good thing – how crappy is a rail system that won't be delivering commuters to the two biggest employment centers in town? Oh, Austin, why did you reject the original light rail proposal back in 2000?)

Raise the bar five notches.