Plans come into focus for proposed Triangle commuter rail

GoTriangle is leading a feasibility study of a proposed commuter rail to connect parts of the Triangle.

President and CEO Chuck Lattuca presented on Monday afternoon at the Wake County Commission’s work session.

“I think it’s very exciting,” Latucca said. “I’m not even a planner, and I think it’s exciting.”

Lattuca estimated that more than 750,000 people will move to the Triangle between 2020 and 2040, according to the Triangle Regional Model. That would bring an additional 700,000 vehicles.

“It’s not something we can build out of,” Lattuca said of the booming population. “We need good transit alternatives.”

Lattuca discussed the importance of building an effective bus and commuter rail network to help people to get where they need to go. He showed Wake County commissioners a map of predictions of growing traffic congestion in the coming years.

“Some people call it the tomato map,” Lattuca said. “I call it a heart attack map.”

Lattuca said the goal of the GoTriangle plan would be to reduce the number of vehicle-miles traveled. He estimated up to 12,000 people per day would ride a proposed 43-mile, 15-station system between Durham and Clayton.

There is an existing railroad corridor, owned by the North Carolina Railroad Company, and part of the GoTriangle study would be to consider whether to use existing tracks, build new tracks or some combination of the two.

The system could also be expanded to Mebane and Selma.

The transit system is negotiating with the owners of existing tracks – Norfolk Southern and Amtrak – to operate up to 20 round-trips each day.

“We’re also working to see if there’s a more flexible service we could offer more on an hourly basis,” Lattuca said.

The feasibility study should be finished by May, and area leaders could approve the proposal by August. The study is expected to provide a better idea of the exact cost, but it’s in the $2 billion range.

GoTriangle said if area communities agree to move forward by August, the commuter rail would have a targeted opening by the end of 2030.

Cary resident Joy Martin said she either drives to work in Raleigh or takes the bus. She took the Amtrak home to Cary from a recent vacation. Martin said she is on board with plans for a commuter rail through the Triangle.

“I’m originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and we had [a] commuter rail, so it’s easier to get around,” Martin said. “It’s nice and relaxing. [It’s] better than sitting in traffic.”