Project Connect Is All In

Project Connect will connect our residents to the city and each other. We envision a vibrant metropolitan area where transit is an essential part of the fabric of life and embraces our creativity, our digital and technical savvy, our entrepreneurial spirit, our zeal to be green and our love of diversity.  Project Connect is All In. 

All in for Equity and Opportunity. 

Project Connect will set a standard for providing equity and opportunity for all communities. A truly comprehensive transportation network—Project Connect—will connect people to opportunities and destinations. Program objectives include: 

• Invest heavily in affordable housing and strengthen existing neighborhoods by partnering with the city of Austin to ensure anti-displacement funding is used effectively.
  
• Listen to, respect, and treat underserved communities as both customers and key partners.
• Create thousands of jobs. Hire local workers and firms. 
• Deploy robust DBE program providing opportunity to minority businesses.
• Integrate our unique culture, artists, and musicians throughout the system including station design and more.
• Democratize access to sports and other entertainment venues, including a new stop at Q2 stadium.
• Create great destinations and increase access to existing ones inside and outside the city core.

All in for Environment and Sustainability. 

There is a shared passion in our community for the environment, and that’s why a commitment to environment and sustainable practices are core to Project Connect. Program objectives include:

• Set a national standard for green transit system operations.
• Respect our parks, natural areas and ecosystems. 
• Reduce our carbon footprint system though electrification. 
• Build an all-electric fleet. 
• Use renewables like solar and wind as major sources of energy.
• Use battery and energy storage capacity to reduce consumption and waste.
• Use the most advanced systems to reduce water use and waste in all operations. 

All in for Technology and Innovation. 

Technology and innovation inspire much of who we are as a region. Project Connect will embrace that spirit, making transportation smarter, more efficient, enjoyable and easier to use. Program objectives include: 

• Set a national standard in the use of leading-edge transit technology.
  
• Integrate technology into systems’ to make customer’s lives easier.
• Deploy fully automated maintenance system.
• Enhance user experience with Lidar-LED, sound and 3D mapping technology.
• Make it easy for riders to get to their destination with up-to-date wayfinding technology.
• Use cutting-edge tunneling methods to minimize environmental impacts and disruptions.