Anyone who’s studied the economic and environmental benefits of public transit agrees that light rail is a critical factor in unclogging highways and encouraging infill development of Downtown property. But the mapping of tracks presents a more challenging discussion.
Mark your schedules now for the latest round of transit workshops!
Sessions are planned during the last week in March in various locations around the city – here’s the schedule.
Are these workshops important for residents to attend? Absolutely! There are critical decisions being made that impact the track alignments and station locations within the downtown grid.
But let’s catch up . .
First, don’t confuse the Triangle Regional Transit Program with high speed rail. Last summer there were several hearings on high speed rail, but this project is on separate “track” literally, and won’t have any impact on the regional transit system being discussed this month.
Last September public workshops were held, and residents were asked to evaluate the proposed rail corridors within Wake County to support a commuter and light rail train service. It may help to review our previous post about these workshop, Don’t Let the Train Pass You By, and a recent article from Midtown Magazine, They’ve been working on the railroad.
The upcoming workshops now become more specific in identifying proposed light rail alignments (routes) within the corridor, as well as individual station locations.
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 east through west Raleigh, then turns southeast (just south of Downtown) towards Garner.
The commuter rail portion of this corridor covers 37 miles, with faster speeds (43mph), less frequency and fewer stations. Commuter rail is more of a park and ride transit option, where stations are being planned to include 4,400 parking spaces and 40 bus bays.
The light rail portion of this corridor will run 18 miles from Northwest Cary through NCSU and downtown, where it turns northward, continuing on the CSX corridor to near Triangle Town Center. Light rail trains stop more frequently and stations are spaced closer together. Click here for a sneak peak at the 20 station locations being proposed.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
The train corridor passes under a bridge at Boylan Avenue, but there’s not enough room for the light rail vehicle to fit alongside the freight rail tracks. Here the light rail trains will need to exit the corridor for the few short miles they travel through Downtown Raleigh. So we’re back to having to select between several alternatives, each problematic for different reasons.
Triangle Transit’s solution is for the light rail tracks to climb overhead on a long bridge, before rejoining street level. Read the article from Indyweek.com. Boylan Heights residents, hearing about this option, are concerned about the negative property impacts to their neighborhood.
Another option would be for the train to exit the corridor near Charlie Goodnight’s, and travel along West Morgan Street. The Passenger Rail Task Force favors this alternative, pointing out the boost to property development along the way. But the 3-car vehicle chosen my TTA will extend up to 270 feet long (three 90’ cars), which makes any turn north to rejoin the corridor at Seaboard Station difficult, if not impossible, due to the humped elevation over the Morgan Street bridge. Click here to see the two route alternatives.
Sound familiar? It’s like the high speed rail controversy all over again.
The transit and city authorities are making decisions on public transit that will determine future urban economic development/redevelopment opportunities and have a far reaching impact on our residential neighborhoods.
The DLA encourages all residents to get educated on the issues and make your voices heard. The upcoming workshops will allow residents to review detailed information on the transit routes, stations, travel time, ridership estimates and costs.
Don’t miss this opportunity . . . Don’t let the trains pass you by!