GoTriangle study examines potential for new commuter-rail line

Regional transit authority GoTriangle last month completed a study for a potential commuter-rail line on 40 miles of existing track between West Durham and Clayton, North Carolina.

The Greater Triangle Commuter Rail feasibility study examined options for implementing commuter service that would share a corridor with existing and future freight and passenger trains, authority officials said in a report on the study.

The feasibility study is GoTriangle's latest attempt to examine the potential for new passenger-rail service through North Carolina's growing Triangle region, which continues to add more than 32,000 residents a year. The increasing population is causing traffic congestion and ever-lengthening commute times, according to the report.

"A Triangle passenger-rail line between West Durham and Garner or Clayton ... represents an opportunity to manage growth and create a truly regional transit network," the report states.

Due to the high cost and technical challenges with delivering the service all at once, the study examined options for initial implementation in the eastern, central and western portions of the corridor: 

• The eastern portion calls for about 10 miles of passenger-rail service from Auburn Station in Garner to Raleigh Union Station. This option would take about eight years to build at a cost of $600 million to $700 million. Ridership projections show 4,000 daily boardings by 2040;

• The central portion calls for about 20 miles of service from Raleigh Union Station to Ellis Road Station or RTP Station. This option is estimated to take 10 years to build at a cost of $800 million to $1 billion. Ridership projections show 4,000 daily boardings by 2040; and

• The western portion calls for 10 miles of service from RTP Station to West Durham Station. Construction would take about 12 years at a cost of $1.6 billion. Ridership projections show 3,000 daily boardings by 2040.