Join me in the vision: commuter rail carrying workers from Downtown Raleigh to RTP and government workers from their homes in Cary/Apex to Downtown Raleigh; and light rail taking shoppers from Downtown Raleigh to Triangle Town Center, and transporting visitors from Cary/Apex to Downtown Raleigh.

With all the press lately about high-speed rail, it’s easy to get confused about the various transit initiatives.  (See Buses,Trains and Automobiles.. All Aboard Raleigh’s Public Transport Network for a review of the different transport initiatives underway in Raleigh.)

There’s a  Public Workshop coming up on Tuesday, but no talk about high-speed rail pathways here.  Instead, this workshop will be about the Triangle Regional Transit Program (TRTP) that focuses on the vision for enhanced bus services (in separate, dedicated lanes), commuter rail corridors (on existing freight tracks), and light rail (on new tracks) that will serve residents in Wake, Durham and Orange Counties.  Click here for more information on the various types of transit technologies.

The Downtown Raleigh workshop will be held on Tuesday (September 14th, from 4:00-7:00pm at the Chavis Community Center, 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Raleigh (map).

Why so much discussion about new mass transit options?

With all the transit projects  designed to support our area’s growth, there is a critical need to coordinate these efforts. .  Commuter and light rail will share some portion of the rail corridor with the Southeast High Speed Rail Project and this is also where Union Station plays an important role as a multi-modal center for bringing together all forms of public transportation.

Click to enlargeThe TRTP study views the area as three corridors: 

1. Wake County Corridor

2. Durham/Orange County Corridor

3. Durham/Wake County Corridor

 

Wake County Corridor

Click to enlarge

The Wake County Corridor begins in the vicinity of the Triangle Metro Center in Research Triangle Park (RTP) and follows the existing North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) corridor to Downtown Raleigh where it turns northward, continuing on the CSX corridor to near Triangle Town Center.

The Wake County Corridor could also include future extensions from Triangle Town Center to Wake Forest and from Downtown Cary to Apex.

 

Durham/Orange County Corridor

Click to enlargeThe Durham/Orange County Corridor begins in Chapel Hill in the vicinity of the University of North Carolina Campus and roughly follows the US 15/501 corridor north to the City of Durham, where it turns eastward to follow the existing NCRR corridor to approximately the Triangle Metro Center in RTP.


 


Durham/Wake County Corridor

Click to enlargeThe Durham/Wake County Corridor would involve a study of transit corridor options that follow the existing NCRR corridor from Durham through RTP and Downtown Raleigh toward the Wake-Johnston County line.

There are lots of decisions to be made, including transit modes, routes and station locations.  All our critically important.  So become educated about the various options by attending workshops like the one coming up on Tuesday.

Your input can make a real difference, and help shape our city for years to come.  I look forward to seeing you there!