VIA officials told the San Antonio Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Oct. 7 that construction of the Green Primo rapid‑transit line is underway and design work on the Silver line is advancing toward a staff recommendation on project limits and funding.

“Ya iniciamos la construcción de la verde y ya estamos 40 por 100 terminado de la línea plateada,” said Manchuvi, a VIA official, summarizing progress on the two corridors and noting frequency goals of about 10 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends for the new corridors. VIA staff said the Green line will run from the airport through San Pedro and downtown to the south end, and the Silver line is planned as a 7.3‑mile east‑west corridor with termini near Rostenberg and General McMullen.

Why it matters: The projects are central pieces of VIA’s long‑range plan to improve frequency and connectivity across San Antonio, with planners telling the committee the corridors are meant to be backbones that allow many other routes to connect more reliably.

VIA said the Green line project budget is roughly $480 million (presenter figure) and that the agency has secured about $268 million in federal funding for early works. For the Silver line staff presented a recommendation figure near $442 million and said the agency will continue to seek federal grants to fill funding gaps. The Silver line service start was discussed as a target in the late 2020s or around 2030, contingent on funding approvals.

Design and stations: Staff described three station typologies (center platforms, edge platforms and larger transfer stations), explaining that 25 station locations are planned along the corridors and that some stations will have single platforms while others will have two platforms serving both directions. VIA is also running an art competition for station artwork and has identified 100 panel opportunities to display work by local students and artists.

Community outreach and schedule risks: VIA said teams have conducted door‑to‑door engagement, distributed door hangers and held open houses, contacting hundreds of thousands of people and dozens of businesses in corridor areas. Officials acknowledged past coordination problems with utility relocations can delay work, but said improved coordination with CPS and public works and earlier contractor negotiations reduce the risk of the long delays that occurred in prior projects. Staff committed to sharing a construction notification timeline with council offices and affected schools.

Performance metrics: The agency described implementation milestones for an accompanying bus improvement plan that increases frequency on many routes, citing target metrics such as increased frequency for roughly 20% of trips and projected increases in job access for residents. VIA said it will track outcomes using passenger counts and customer satisfaction surveys.

What’s next: VIA staff said they will return with contractor negotiations, funding updates and a refined timeline as key procurement and federal review steps are completed. Councilmembers asked for more granular ridership and district‑level data at the next quarterly briefing.

Ending: The committee thanked presenters and asked VIA to continue quarterly updates and to provide clearer maps and district‑level metrics for council review.