Raleigh residents give input on high-speed rail proposal

Raleigh, N.C. — More than 150 people attended a public meeting Monday night in Raleigh on the proposed high-speed rail line that will eventually connect Charlotte to Washington, D.C., with trains traveling at top speeds of 110 miles per hour.

Many of those attending the information session at the Raleigh Convention Center were residents living near route options where the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor could pass enroute to Richmond, Va.

Raleigh resident Mary Jo Gellenbeck said the high-speed rail line would be a welcomed sight.

“Mass transportation will bring in the next generation of people. They're going to be looking for it,” Gellenbeck said.

However, some in the crowd didn't share Gellenbeck's enthusiasm. They worry the rail line will run through their property.

“It's certainly a fair warning to keep involved and watch what's going to come," warehouse owner Herb Pierson said. "They could move that line 20 feet and that would cut right into our buildings."

Long-time Raleigh resident Pat Brafford's said one of the rail's potential corridors runs through her backyard.

“It is kind of frightening at 70 to have to think about moving because the railroad is coming to your house,” Brafford said.

State rail division director Pat Simmons said the purpose of the public hearing is to get input for further rail development plans. Maps were shown to residents so they could see how alternative rail corridors could affect the area.

“There are some items that are unavoidable in drawing a straight line. So, we will share the product of that work. We will ask the public to correct us,” Simmons explained.

The state was awarded $545 million in federal stimulus funds to support the high-speed rail system, which plans to complete the track from Charlotte to Raleigh within three years. The time frame for rail from Charlotte to Richmond is projected to be 2017 or later.

“If the wind is at my back and we get funding, and everything falls into place, you are looking at about the end of the decade,” Simmons said of a completion date.

Two more DOT information sessions and public hearings are planned for this week:

Tuesday, July 27, at Aycock Elementary School, 305 Carey Chapel Road in Henderson.
Thursday, July 29, at Franklinton High School gym, 6948 N. Cheatham St. in Franklinton.

84 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 84 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

I MEANT THEY..

delilahk2000
July 27, 2010 7:43 p.m.

RPD911, YOU ARE SO RIGHT ON. IF YOU WANT THAT KIND OF LIFE THEY NEED TO GO BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

delilahk2000
July 27, 2010 7:40 p.m.

rpd911 - this project is not light rail, that is a completely different issue. The light rail proposals on the table for our region aren't worth it for one big reason - they won't connect to RDU. If we could get a light rail with stops in downtown Raleigh and Durham plus RDU, then it's worth it. As for other forms of mass transit, we absolutely do need them. Our towns can't sustain a growing traffic burden full of cars carrying one person each - it's a waste of money. And for the record, I've lived in NC my entire life, and my family has been in NC for 300+ years.

mpheels
July 27, 2010 6:59 p.m.

High speed rail with its high speed costs is too popular. It looks like that the $520 million grant from the federal government might be the only money available from Washington to pay for NC's high speed rail projects. The remaining funds will be coming from the pockets of NC citizens. In 2009 NC was only one of 40 states that submitted applications for inclusion in the High Speed Rail Proposal money from the stimulus package . In total, the 40 states requested a combined $93 Billion. Yes, that was about 12 times the $8 Billion amount budgeted in Obama's stimulus package for high speed rail. On Jan 28 2010 the AP reported that the NC.$520 Million was for projects that will increase top speeds to 90 mph on trains between Raleigh and Charlotte and double the number of round trips. Now in today's story on the proposed high-speed rail line that will eventually connect Charlotte to Washington, DC, with trains traveling at top speeds of 110 miles per hour. Talk about inflation.

jet2rdu
July 27, 2010 6:37 p.m.

This thing if approved and built will be a drain on the local and state budget and will require huge federal subsidies. I mean it already has to have "stimulus" dollars to "support" it. Come on. Lite rail and mass transit are not what we need or want. North Carolina's appeal to get people to move here has gotten lots of people to move here but now that they've moved here they want to change it to something they think it should be which will make it not what it was that attracted them to it in the first place. For those that have moved here from places afar, NY, Michigan, NJ, PA, FL, Overseas, you came here for a reason, I'm guessing it was the country feel and great weather. If that's not what you want and you want to get what you had elsewhere go back to elsewhere.