A Transit Dream
Thirty years ago, our local community leaders had a vision for regional transportation that used light rail to connect the Triangle. The vision included light rail lines that went everywhere and had the potential to reduce sprawl and make the Triangle a bustling economic center and a wonderful place to live without a car. It was a dream we all shared.
Over the years, the plan changed into something very different. Wake and RTP decided not to wait for light rail to get people out of their cars and onto public transit. Light rail did not meet their needs and they moved on. As a result, Wake and RTP are already realizing their public transportation goals with high frequency buses, ride-sharing, and soon a bus rapid transit system that makes it easier to get around town without a car.
Durham and Orange meanwhile have made no progress. For us, light rail has been the only solution and we have been willing to agree to anything to keep it going. A once simple light rail corridor has morphed into a clumsy roller coaster with sharp curves, tunnels, and elevated tracks as it has become evident that the light rail as originally planned was unworkable. It’s still ten years away.
The project cost for the Durham Orange Light Rail has ballooned to well over $3 billion and it will not be paid for until 2060. Federal and State funding, once expected to fund 75 percent of the project, now covers 30-40 percent, at best. All this for a single train that takes nearly an hour to go from UNC to NCCU in Durham. It doesn’t go anywhere near RTP, Raleigh or RDU airport.
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