The Austin Western Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Round Rock, Texas. AWRR is a subsidiary of Watco. It is the contracted operator of 126 mi of ex-Southern Pacific trackage, now owned by Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. AWRR operates the line from Fairland, Texas to Giddings, Texas, in addition to 6.4 mi of branchline from Fairland to Marble Falls, Texas. Another 28 mi of track remain out of service between Fairland and Llano, having most recently seen revenue service in 2005. This portion comprises the Austin and Northwestern Railroad Historic District. The AWRR interchanges with the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway; both at McNeil, Texas. The AWRR shares trackage with the CapMetro Rail Red Line between Leander and Austin. The Austin Steam Train Association (ASTA) operates excursion trains between Cedar Park and Burnet.

History

The Austin Western Railroad was founded in 2007, with Watco winning the bid to operate the line after the Austin Area Terminal Railroad's contract with Capital Metro ended.

Traffic

AWRR traffic includes aggregates, crushed limestone, calcium bicarbonate, lumber, beer, chemicals, plastics and paper. An incomplete list of AWRR customers, as of March 2024:

Roster