Triangle transit news
Hey y’all! Not a full-blown blog post, but I did wanna share some exciting transit-related news coming out of the Triangle region here in North Carolina.
GoTriangle, our local transit authority, is studying the feasibility of constructing a 43-mile commuter rail that would run from Clayton to Durham with intermediate stops in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, and Research Triangle Park. There are currently limited rail options in the Triangle, with only a handful of Amtrak trains stopping in Durham, Cary, and Raleigh throughout the day. Construction is not expected to start anytime in the next few years, but this news is an important first step in improving local public transit in the Triangle.1
In other news, the federal government has awarded a $58 million grant to North Carolina and Virginia towards restoring the S-Line between Raleigh and Richmond in the next few years. This line would bypass the freight traffic between these two cities and could cut travel time by up to 90 minutes. This reduction would make travel time from Raleigh to Washington, DC and other cities along the Northeast Corridor comparable to driving, a huge win for rail commuters in the Triangle traveling north.1
Map: Courtesy of N.C. Department of Transportation.
Investing in rail infrastructure that reduces travel times expands a reliable and sustainable commuting option to the over 2 million people living in the Triangle. This development will be critical as North Carolina’s economy and population continue to grow over the next decade and beyond.
However, these rail projects are not the silver bullet for transforming the Triangle into a less car-dominant region. Building a commuter rail here must be paired with improving the existing bus infrastructure and making our communities more accessible by foot or bike. Commuter rails achieve their goal of reducing a region’s car-dependency when they incorporate alternative modes of transportation that commuters can use when traveling to their nearest station.
Next week, I’m posting here my story on why and how I live car-free. Make sure to subscribe so that you’re the first to know via email when it’s published, and send it along to a family member or friend you think might be interested. I’m also uploading car-free content more frequently on my TikTok and Instagram account- check it out at @andytalksurbanism.
See you next week!
Sources
Eanes, Z. ‘Triangle leaders consider massive commuter rail projects,’ Axios. August 22, 2022. https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2022/08/22/commuter-train-raleigh-durham-research-triangle