It's been almost a decade now since we got light rail in Austin and my middle-schooler just started riding the train to/from school each day (so far, we love it!), so I guess it's about time for me to give an updated look at our local stop, the Howard MetroRail Station. Howard (aka Stop #5540) https://www.capmetro.org/stopdetail/index.php?stop=5540) is a park & ride, so there are 301 spaces adjacent to the train stop which serves the following bus routes in addition to the 550 MetroRail Red Line: 50 Round Rock/Howard Station https://www.capmetro.org/schedmap/?svc=0&f1=50&s=0&d=N 243 Wells Branch https://www.capmetro.org/schedmap/?svc=0&f1=243&s=0&d=E 980 North MoPac Express https://www.capmetro.org/schedmap/?svc=4&f1=980&s=0&d=N (well, you have to walk/scoot/bike about 1/2 mile to New Life Church on southbound Mopac to reach this one) Everything you need to know about how to use CapMetro services is available in their full system map https://www.capmetro.org/uploadedFiles/New2016/Plan_Your_Trip/Destinations_Schedule_Book/system_map.pdf and Destinations book https://www.capmetro.org/uploadedFiles/New2016/Plan_Your_Trip/Destinations_Schedule_Book/Schedulebook_web.pdf . Trains arrive every 15-30 minutes during the daily service hours, which vary according to the season (mostly whether school is in session) and day of the week. Keep in mind that southbound and northbound trains share the same tracks, so there's a limit to how many more trains can be feasibly be added to the mix. Check the full Red Line schedule https://www.capmetro.org/current_schedules/pdf/550.pdf for details and follow CapMetro on social to keep up with last minute service alerts. It's still pretty pricey to ride the train, $7 for an unlimited day pass or $3.50 for a single trip (which must be used within 1 hour of purchase). All day MetroRail passes do not require transfer fees, so you can take as many trains as you need to reach your final destination (although I tend to walk, run, or use a kickscooter, myself; you can also try one of the many bike & e-scooter rental options downtown). If you're visiting and will be using the train for 4 or more days, your best option is the 7-day pass at $27.50. If you are a student, a senior citizen, or one of a few other special groups, you can get 1/2 priced passes, but you need to show proof of eligibility when tickets are validated or checked by fare enforcement. Don't try to cheat, or you'll get a $75 ticket! More about reduced fares here: https://www.capmetro.org/rfid/ Perhaps because it is so pricey, the degree of riff-raff & shenanigans one encounters on the train seems pretty low for public transport, but YMMV. Members of the homeless encampment just down the street at the Mopac overpass do sometimes make their way over to the station, but we've never encountered any trouble from fellow humans at this station or on the train over the years. Morning & evening commuter rides are pretty quiet and comfortable, although you may need to stand during the most popular morning southbound and evening northbound trips. Back at the launch in 2010, the last northbound MetroRail trip of the day was around 6:30p, a bummer if you had ideas of heading downtown for an evening of merriment with no need to drive or park. That's still true most of the week (it's still a commuter rail service & it still shares the tracks with freight trains overnight) but on Fridays & Saturdays, we now have extended service until after midnight, with the last train from the Convention Center departing northbound at 1:45am on Friday night and 2:30am on Saturday night. They also extend the service hours during special events like SXSW and ACL Fest, but beware that those trains get packed! Another big change since the beginning is that the station's ticket kiosks no longer take credit cards AND they do not give back change. Instead, you get a paper voucher that must be used toward additional CapMetro services within 15 days or the value disappears! For this reason alone, it's generally to your advantage to put the CapMetro app on your smartphone and make your ticket purchases & activations there. You also get timely service alerts on the app when there are unexpected delays or other emerging issues with the train service. Tip: Follow on Twitter @CapMetroATX for up-to-the-minute news on changes to the service schedule & special discounts from partner businesses. Use the CapMetro comment form https://app.capmetro.org/ServiceOneWebCCR to report issues found at the station or with a specific ride experience. Trains fill up during special events like SXSW, so prepare a plan B (like ride share or one of the night-owl buses https://www.capmetro.org/latenight/) for getting back up north at the end of the day if you fail to get on the last train home. read more

The metro rail is super convenient and fast. The trains equipped with free WiFi. Always clean but fills up quickly during the rush. The station itself has plenty parking, could be lighted a little more but appears to be fairly safe. I've seen metro police there a couple times not sure if it was just to patrol or if something occurred. read more

While there's no bar nearby to grab a quick beer if you miss your train, this station is pretty great. Parking is more than ample, though during SXSW last year, I had to get a little creative with it. If, for some reason, I would have to leave my car overnight, I think I'd be okay with that (besides the fact that I don't like to leave my car overnight anywhere in general) and I think it'd be safe. There's plenty of shaded area to wait (and some not so shaded) and two ticket machines, though I usually buy my pass on the CapMetro app. There's also several busses that serve this location. I do, however, have a friend that was ticketed because the train arrived early and she didn't have time to get a ticket before it left, even though she fully intended to. So, ride without a ticket at your own risk. So no beer, but also minimal threat of towing. I guess it's a trade off that I'll accept. read more

This stop has tons of parking and almost nothing but housing anywhere nearby. Probably not going to be a spot to get off the metrorail unless you live around here, but its a relaxing place to start your commute to work and certainly infinitely better than being stuck in rush hour traffic on the access road just to get onto the also jampacked freeway. I've never not found parking here, and the train platform faces a serene fenced off pasture with some hungry black cows, horses and even a donkey. Dat ass! read more

Plenty of parking available at Howard station but none of it is covered. To purchase tickets you need cash or to buy it online. They do not accept credit card or debit cards. The kiosks are slow and have us so much trouble we actually missed the train and had to wait for the next one. Good thing we were just riding it for fun. read more

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I've used rail before and overall really like the service. But I arrived today at 9:00am and there was not a parking space. There's no good place to park for overflow, so that meant back tracking through traffic. If I had known parking is difficult late rush hour, I'd never have tried the service. Later I found out the last ride from downtown is 6:30pm, which means I would have had to find bus service to get me back to the station had I been able to use it. We need rail, and I have hopes they are working on this problem, but given how long it's been running so far, consider driving, or getting to the station early commute hour. I was so disappointed. read more

Went to the station to try and get to SXSW. First I find no more credit cards. Cash or buy from a website that would not load,with a credit card. Ended up having to find a rip off cash machine,then after I got charged for withdrawing $20. Then had to buy an OVERPRICED drink,to get change. Used to be fun. The trains were packed like sardines as the delays keep us all standing for about 30 minutes before we left downtown. Kept opening the doors to try and shove more people in. Seriously Cap Metro,get your shit together. That was a disaster. Hopefully you lost a ton of money,cause everyone rode down for free. read more

No parking mid-day. Parking lot is too small for a park and ride. Generally people are parking illegal, etc. Whenver I go here mid-day to catch a downtown afternoon meeting, I can never find parking. There are signs nearby to say not to park on the grass area either, and there are no streets around for street parking. Total bummer for a park and ride. read more

I have used the metro before and it was on time so when I had someone visiting me in Austin I figured it would be perfect for us to use to go downtown. The metro was said to be leaving at 6:23pm we arrived and paid for two tickets about 15 min early. Around 6:40pm we were still waiting in the cold for it to arrive. I checked online to see if there was any notice of a late arrival. ( I had dinner reservations for 7:00pm downtown) Finally 7:17pm we left after waiting an hour! I was so upset and embarrassed that I had someone visiting and the metro never showed. Since I been there before and it was fine I was hoping it was consistent. After waiting and pre-paying for no ride I have lost all my trust for the metro -rail! read more

Parking is a nightmare. Park here before 8:15 on normal weeks and much earlier on weeks with something going on downtown like sxsw. You will be towed if your vehicle isn't parked in the right space. read more