Route

 Commonly Asked Questions

“You mean the light rail route does not go the airport or to RDU?” — That’s right.

“Will it really take me 55 minutes to get to Duke from Meadowmont?” — Yes.

GoTriangle’s planned route from UNC to Duke is what remains from the original concept to connect the Triangle from twenty years ago.  Originally local leaders envisioned connecting Raleigh and Research Triangle Park with the RDU Airport, Durham and Chapel Hill.

This news article documents the  death of the first regional transit plan when GoTriangle was called TTA. In the first plan they planned to use existing tracks. Much later the plan was revived but in 2015 Wake County dropped out of the plan because they found GoTriangle’ plan too expensive and inflexible to serve their transit needs.

The Wake County Transit Plan does not utilize light rail. The Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) will use existing railroad tracks to provide comfortable passenger service that allows riders to relax or work on their way to key destinations. The line will run 37 miles from Garner to downtown Raleigh, N.C. State University, Cary, Morrisville, and the Research Triangle Park continuing to Durham.

Is RDU rail on a track to nowhere? An article in Triangle Business Journal discusses connections between Durham and Raleigh via commuter rail.

The route that remains has few benefits for Orange County transit and will have limited demand.  Joining Central University’s campus to Durham and Duke Hospital holds a benefit for some Durham transit riders but at what cost?

You can help by signing the petition asking the Orange County commissioners to finally cap the local cost.

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