Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) Draft Proposal & Recommendation

dbearhug
04/01 02:41 AM

From a quick look there seemed to be some noticeable points:

1) A greatly expanded regional bus system.
2) Diesel-multiple unit heavy rail line from Durant Road to Duke. (initial TTA plan)
3) LRT or BRT line from downtown Durham to Duke and then UNC. (not initially in TTA)

Some absent points:

1) The RDU connection.
2) The Eastran system connecting Wilson to Goldsboro via downtown Raleigh.

There was a mention of the discussion with RDU and it seems as though the airport is putting their consolidated rental car facility as a higher priority.  When built, it seems as though RDU is looking to place it to the west of the terminals with closer access to I-540. That would then be their airport-to-rail link. A rail connection definitely seems to be a long way off and an express bus to DT Raleigh and DT Durham is a more realistic proposition.

They didn’t go much into the Raleigh Multimodal station, but Mitch Silver and the city have already spent $263K to have HDR Inc. to develop a planning study.  It’s due sometime this summer.

Peace

ChiefJoJo
04/01 03:29 AM

RDU: there is a plan for circulator system that would connect RDU to the Triangle Metro Center rail station in RTP.  It would probably be bus initially, but could be some type of rail later on.  Everyone wants an airport link, but in reality, they don’t tend to generate nearly the ridership of lines that connect housing to jobs.

Part of EASTRANS went out the window once the 64/264 freeway was built.  The rail line through Knightdale is in poor shape and cannot compete with a brand new 70mph superhighway.

The NCRR line from Goldsboro to Raleigh (& on to Burlington) is beoing studied for commuter rail by the NCRR as we speak (see link).

One of the potential highlights I see for Raleigh (this being New Raleigh and all) is the possibility of a crosstown streetcar from west of NCSU to downtown to Wake Med, and perhaps one running down Glenwood from Crabtree to Hillsborough Street meeting the other line at the new multi-modal center.  This is only mentioned in the STAC proposal as a generic “circulator” in concept, but it’s been proposed elsewhere, and frankly we already had streetcars in the early 20th century, so it’s not that much of a stretch.

I think the STAC plan is bold, comprehensive, but also an achievable plan if the cummunity gets behind it. I think we will see a push in the legislature to allow the region to hold a referendum for a 1/2 cent sales tax, similar to Charlotte.

dbearhug
04/01 02:17 PM

Fair points.  I like that they thought out the western part of the heavy rail line and didn’t try to extend it to Chapel Hill.  That was the beauty and the curse of TTA’s plan in that they were adapting existing historical infrastructure for contemporary use.  But, Chapel Hill’s only rail connection was the University spur off the Southern Railway and was pointed more towards Greensboro than Raleigh.  So, LRT/BRT is the smart way to go in this regard.

In regards to RDU, because it is off the primary Raleigh-Cary-Durham rail axis something else will have to do.  What Newark and JFK have done with the Port Authority’s AirTrain is connect the points with a terminal/parking circulator to the nearest rail hub.  As you said, Triangle Metro Center will be the transfer point from the DMU line.  And, it will work only if the air traveller doesn’t have to make one more connection.

As for EASTRAN, Knightdale still has it on their planning website.  That the Goldsboro half of the loop will possibly come on line first is OK.  But, as eastern Wake fills in, that superhighway may get a little more clogged over time.  And, for the commuters coming in from Selma and points east, there should still be plans in the wings for 2035.

Bus circulators aren’t a bad way to start because the capacity isn’t there yet to quite justify the expense of commuter rail.  Like every good region, we will continue to grow and a contingency plan is always nice to keep in one’s back pocket.

Peace

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02/13 10:22 PM

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