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Reactivating the MoKan Corridor
A Once-in-a-Generation Choice for Pflugerville
Shane Novak | Dec 19, 2025
-Aerial view of MoKan Corridor as it passes through Downtown Pflugerville
Few cities are given a second chance to reclaim the infrastructure that built them. In Pflugerville, that chance still runs through the heart of our city - the abandoned MoKan rail corridor.
The MoKan corridor, an abandoned railway alignment, passes right through the center of Pflugerville. What we choose to do with it will shape our city’s growth, finances, and quality of life for decades to come.
A City Built on the Railroad
Pflugerville was founded on this railway.
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad arrived in Pflugerville in 1904, bringing with it a period of rapid, for the time, growth in the area. Pflugerville was platted that same year by George and Albert Pfluger, with plans for a dense downtown set right next to the railroad depot, surrounded by some smaller single-family homes. The railroad enabled much of the development that is now our historic downtown on Main Street. But in 1964, the railroad discontinued passenger service along the line, abandoning the route shortly after.
The city kept moving forward even with the loss of its founding industry, and officially incorporated on July 24, 1965. That progress soon was set back in 1971, when a majority of the city’s dense downtown burned in a fire, leaving only the four historical buildings that exist on today’s Main Street.
The significant loss to downtown, paired with the loss of rail transit, made for a perfect environment for debilitating suburban sprawl, which began in the early 90s and continues to this day. Even the downtown never fully recovered, with the burned buildings being replaced by two low-density commercial units.
This wasn’t a situation unique to Pflugerville. It’s one case in a widespread trend in the United States away from traditional, walkable urban development and toward car-dependent, sprawling suburbs. What makes Pflugerville’s case unique is that this rail corridor remains largely intact, allowing us to think of modern ways to revitalize our city.
A Priceless Corridor at Risk
Currently, the corridor is owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which has studied and presented plans to run a four-lane highway that has been labeled as MoCAV, short for Mobility for Connected and Automated Vehicles.
This concept essentially sacrifices a priceless, continuous right-of-way to an unproven system of single-occupancy vehicles, even if they are automated. It induces demand, perpetuates sprawl, and does nothing to create the dense, walkable nodes that increase city revenue and improve quality of life. The concept essentially puts a techy spin on the “one more lane” habit of TxDOT.
At the same time, the City of Austin is also using portions of the right-of-way for a hike and bike trail, which is compatible with a rail concept, even if some reconstruction would be needed. This is a positive interim use that builds local knowledge and appreciation for the corridor, as well as preserves access. Crucially, rail-with-trail designs are common and successful, proving we don’t have to choose between active transit infrastructure and rail.
-1918 Map of Pflugerville
A Stronger Vision for the MoKan Corridor
Instead of an experimental highway system, CapMetro, with the help of regional governments, should build a rail line along the old alignment, double-tracked, electrified, and designed to provide fast, frequent, and reliable rail service into downtown, making rail travel competitive with cars while serving an enormous potential number of riders.
The alignment goes right through several major suburbs of Austin, including Pflugerville, Round Rock, and Georgetown, with a combined population of nearly 325,000 people.
This line wouldn’t exist as a stand-alone transit line. It would connect with Capmetro’s existing Red and planned Green lines, with simple transfers to the future Austin Light Rail network. This would allow entirely rail-based trips between Georgetown, Round Rock, and Pflugerville, all the way south to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Existing bus routes could be restructured and new routes added to take riders to and from high-frequency stations. This would improve efficiency for the system while making transit more convenient and reliable for riders.
A straight, dedicated right-of-way through populated suburban corridors is an opportunity many cities across the country wish they still had. It has the potential to connect major centers for activity, like historic downtowns, commercial hubs, and town centers, with minimal land acquisition costs, while maximizing long-term public value.
-Rail Trail on the Charlotte Blue Line
Transit and Mobility Benefits
A rail line along the MoKan corridor would provide direct rail service from Pflugerville, North to Round Rock and Georgetown, and South to Austin. During peak congestion, it would offer a potentially faster alternative to State Highway 130 and Interstate 35, being more reliable for commuters, running on a schedule instead of being at the whims of highway traffic. It’s also easily scalable, just needing more trains in service rather than requiring more land for parking lots and lanes.
Economic and Urban Benefits
Rail service would spur transit-oriented development in our historic core and in our new Downtown East development, allowing a significant reduction in required parking while funneling visitors from surrounding communities right into our commercial and civic center, generating long-term sales tax revenue for the city.
With rail access, Pflugerville’s planned Downtown East could become a destination, rather than another suburban office and commercial park. Rail supports higher-density, mixed-use zoning that generates more tax revenue per acre than any low-density commercial or sprawling suburban subdivision.
The rail line would become the backbone for a complete, safe network of walking and biking paths, connecting neighborhoods directly to stations and reducing short car trips.
A Choice for Pflugerville’s Future
The MoKan corridor is a rare gem in a sprawling metro region. It’s a ready-made transit pathway with historical legitimacy and immense future value.
Pflugerville faces two very different choices:
A technology testing highway that locks in congestion, reinforces sprawl, and consumes a permanent public asset for short-term gains.
Or a modern, electrified rail line that reconnects our city’s past into its future, creating sustainable economic growth, and finally providing a fast and reliable alternative to sitting in traffic.
Austin’s Hike-and-Bike trail is a good first investment on the corridor. Now, we need to call for our community and regional leadership to implement the full vision. We must advocate with CapMetro, TxDOT, and our local representatives to secure this corridor for its most valuable and best use; the one it was originally built for.
This is more than a transit project. It’s the key to remaking Pflugerville into a connected, prosperous, and sustainable 21st-century city. It would allow Pflugerville to finally recover from the 1971 fire and fulfill George and Albert’s vision of a dense, walkable downtown centered on a transit hub.
Written by: Shane Novak
Shane Novak is the Vice President and Communications Director for Strong Towns Pflugerville, as well as a freshman at the University of Oregon, studying political science and planning, public policy, and management.
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