Austinites got a sneak peek of what an urban rail car looks like Monday afternoon in front of the Palmer Events Center. The new transportation system may be on the November ballot in 2012.

If approved, phase one of the new rail would likely run from downtown to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the Mueller neighborhood in northeast Austin.

The new multi-million dollar system could carry upwards of 28,000 people a day.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell says since Cap Metro has consistently put up low numbers in terms of ridership on the MetroRail, it will be a tough sell to bring the urban rail to Austin.

"They have learned a lot of lessons that we can now learn from them, how to do things better,” he said. “They didn't plan adequately. They'll tell you that to your face that they didn't do enough planning. That's why we want to take plenty of time and we have now two years to do that planning."

The mayor says the city plans to partner with Travis County, the University of Texas and other agencies to work on a comprehensive plan. He believes council members support the measure and would likely vote to have the urban rail bond issue put on the 2012 ballot.

To get a closer look at the plan, click here

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