High cost puts brakes on Marble Falls tourist train

MARBLE FALLS — The high cost of repairing some railroad tracks has put plans on hold for a tourist train to Marble Falls.

Capital Metro Transit recently estimated it would cost more than $860,000 to upgrade the entire span for a proposed tourist train. The Austin-based agency owns the tracks.

“At first, they (Cap Metro officials) told us the cost would be significantly less than the recent estimate,” City Manager Ralph Hendricks said Nov. 7. “They will not pay for it. They are leaving it up to us to decide if we want to pay for it or not.”

However, the city budget is barely balanced and its reserve funds are low, officials said.

Passenger rail service to Marble Falls is one of several proposals — most of them still on a wish list — to make the city more of a tourist destination. Others include an observation area for a bat cave and a regional sports complex.

For several months, city officials have considered upgrades to local rail lines for passenger trains to bring more visitors to the Historic Main Street District downtown.