CapMetro’s CEO apologized Sunday afternoon, less than a day passengers experienced massive delays and crowded trains for Austin FC’s home opener to its new train station next to Q2 Stadium
Editor’s note: the story has been updated to reflect that CapMetro did not answer questions from the Statesman, including about the delays, game-day preparations and lesons learned.
CapMetro’s CEO publicly apologized Sunday afternoon, less than a day passengers experienced massive delays and crowded trains during Austin FC’s season opener and the highly anticipated inauguration of the $60 million McKalla station.
“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, said CEO Dottie Watkins in a thread on X, formerly Twitter.
The Statesman sent CapMetro spokesman Jorge Ortega a list of questions Sunday morning, which included asking for an explanation about the delays and preparations going into the home opener. CapMetro initially cited Saturday’s delays were due to signal issues. Ortega did not answer the questions. Instead, he referred the newspaper to Watkins’ thread on X.
The McKalla station is seen as a crown jewel for CapMetro, a direct route for fans to take the train to and from home soccer matches at Q2 Stadium. Instead, fans took to social media to blast the delays before and after Saturday’s Austin’s FC 2-1 loss to Minnesota United FC.
According to a statement released Feb. 22, the McKalla station is intended to “provide more convenient, reliable, and efficient options to the Q2 Stadium and the surrounding neighborhood.”
Watkins promised to make amends by making all CapMetro Rail rides on March 9, “fare-free, all day, for all customers on the Red Line. It’s going to be SXSW, another Austin FC match day, and we’re going to have all hands on deck. We will improve, thanks for riding.”
Austin FC is scheduled to play at 7:30 pm, March 9 against St. Louis City SC at Q2 Stadium. The SXSW Conference, a global conference in Austin, runs from March 8-16.
