San Antonio Advances $400 Million VIA Rapid Green Line Advanced Rapid Transit Corridor Ahead of 2028 Launch

Delivering San Antonio's First Advanced Rapid Transit Corridor

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Civil construction and roadway reconstruction have accelerated along the 12-mile San Pedro Avenue corridor as VIA Metropolitan Transit advances structural works for the landmark VIA Rapid Green Line. Representing an investment exceeding $400 million funded through local sales tax initiatives and competitive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Investment Grants, the project introduces San Antonio’s very first Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) system, engineered to provide light-rail-style speed, frequency, and comfort across the urban core ahead of commercial passenger operations in April 2028.

The Green Line establishes a vital north-south transit spine, linking San Antonio International Airport directly through the North Star commercial district, Midtown, and Downtown San Antonio down to the historic Missions area and the Brooks Transit Center. Once opened, the line will deliver continuous 21-hour daily service operating at high-frequency 10-minute intervals on weekdays and 15-minute headways on weekends, dramatically mitigating surface congestion along one of Bexar County's busiest commuter thoroughfares.

Specialized Guideways, Level Boarding, and Intelligent Signals

To ensure unimpeded passenger journeys, substantial segments of the Green Line will operate within dedicated center-running transit lanes. The route features 26 newly designed stations equipped with level-boarding elevated platforms, off-board digital fare collection totems, weather canopies, dynamic digital arrival displays, and integrated closed-circuit surveillance networks.

Furthermore, city public works teams are deploying advanced Transit Signal Priority (TSP) software at key intersections. When ART vehicles approach signalized crossings, roadside sensors communicate directly with municipal traffic management systems to extend green lights, eliminating unnecessary intersection delays and improving transit travel times by up to 25 percent.

A Foundation for Regional Multimodal Connectivity

The ongoing Green Line civil works also incorporate comprehensive underground utility relocations, upgraded stormwater culverts, high-visibility pedestrian crosswalks, and illuminated shared-use sidewalk trails along San Pedro Avenue. The corridor serves as the operational foundation for VIA's broader ART program, which will subsequently construct the east-west Silver Line connecting Our Lady of the Lake University to the Frost Bank Center.

San Antonio civic leaders emphasized that the VIA Rapid network provides essential transit equity, connecting frontline healthcare workers, university students, hospitality personnel, and airport employees with rapid, affordable, and sustainable mass mobility.