Capital Metro's rail line will open March 22, the transit agency announced on its website Friday.
The announcement comes as Capital Metro continued its commuter rail testing in what the transit agency hoped would be the final leg of testing before opening the system.
The rail cars are going down the tracks and making stops at stations across the area during normal schedule times.
Earlier this week, inspectors with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) came into Austin to observe the test runs. The inspectors were looking to see if the safety mechanisms on the line were working properly.
On Thursday, Capital Metro began testing the rail system with passengers on board to make sure the rail is user-friendly. The first day of testing only included test passengers who were employees of Capital Metro.
On Friday, the line opened up to community volunteer riders. Some began on one end of the track in Williamson County and ended in downtown Austin near the Austin Convention Center.
“Oh it was fantastic. It was nice and smooth and fast. We got from Cedar Park to downtown in about 45 minutes,” said Karen Curd, volunteer rider. “During rush hour. It was wonderful.”
When they got off the rail cars, the volunteer passengers gave a brief description of the ride to Capital Metro authorities about what they liked and what they thought could use improvement.
“We didn't have to wait through any traffic lights or wild intersections. It was just smooth as glass. It was really a great ride, yeah,” said Jim Curd, volunteer rider.
Capital Metro says it’s taking surveys in an effort to make sure everything from the signage at the stations to the ticket machines are user-friendly.
“It was a good experience. They came back and they had a list of things we needed to maybe change on the signage and on other things, little design things that we could take care of,” said Capital Metro Interim President Doug Allen, “It was a good customer service base exercise so that our employees would view it from the eyes of the customer.”
The testing picks up again on Monday with passengers on board. Capital Metro expects to continue running the rail cars through next week.
During that time they will get a report from the FRA. The report will either give them the green light to begin operations or list any further changes required.
Capital Metro officials have said they're confident that the system will pass the inspection and requirements. Officials said tickets would go on sale once a formal launch date is announced. The official launch date is March 22.
