Business leaders and Raleigh, Durham mayors get look at Triangle public transit

IMPACT YOUR COMMUTE IN THE

>> TODAY LOCAL LEADERS LOOKED

AT ONE WAY TO EASE TRAFFIC

CONGESTION AND IMPROVE YOUR

COMMUTE ABOUT 80 PEOPLE TRAVEL

THE TRIANGLE ON PUBLIC TRANSIT

WRAL'S MONICA CASEY JOINED THEM

ON THEIR TOUR WHILE THEY

LEARNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF A

COMMUTER RAIL OF THE

POSSIBILITY.

>> THIS AMTRAK TRAIN ALREADY

CONNECTS RALEIGH AND DURHAM,

BUT ELECTED OFFICIALS WANT

COMMUTER RAIL TO ACCESS THE

ENTIRE TRIAL.

>> BUSES FROM RTP TO RALEIGH.

AND TRADES FROM RALEIGH TO

DURHAM

THIS TOUR SHOWED A DIFFERENT

WAY TO TRAVEL THE RIGHT IN.

HE'S SO ON AMTRAK. SO IT KIND

OF GIVES YOU THE IDEA WHAT THE

FUTURE COULD BE. WHAT THE RIGHT

TO BE ABOUT. AND AND LIKE

DURHAM MAYOR ELAINE O'NEAL

HOPES THAT FUTURE COULD INCLUDE

COMMUTER RAIL

MONEY NEEDS TO HAPPEN. A LOT

OF MONEY, O'NEILL AND RALEIGH,

MAYOR MARY-ANN BALDWIN BELIEVE

REGIONAL COOPERATION WILL BE

ESSENTIAL. AND WE NEED TO TREAT

THIS WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY.

WE CAN'T BE WAITING 10 YEARS,

20 YEARS AND SAY, OH, WELL,

WE'LL DO IT LATER. THE LATEST

GO TRIANGLE PROJECTIONS FOR

RAIL FROM DURHAM TO GARNER OR

CLAYTON SHOWS A PRICE TAG OF

ROUGHLY

3 BILLION-DOLLARS FEDERAL

FUNDING WILL BE KEY TO ALL OF

THIS. BUT SO WAS OUR LOCAL

COMMITMENTS AND LOCAL FUNDING.

MORE PEOPLE ON PUBLIC TRANSIT

COULD FEWER CARS ON THE ROADS

AND LESS CONGESTION. STEVE RAO,

A MORRISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL

MEMBER BELIEVES THERE'S ALREADY

A POPULATION THAT WOULD BENEFIT

FROM RAIL. SO I THINK THERE'S

GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TAP INTO

IMMIGRANTS THAT ARE HERE THAT

HAVE BEEN USED TO TRAVELING

ON TRANSIT TO GET THEM TO USE

INCREASE RIDERSHIP, GO. TRIBAL

LEADERS SAY RIDERSHIP THIS PAST

AUGUST WAS HIGHER.

>> AND IT WAS PREPANDEMIC.

THEY SAY THAT MAKES THIS THE

PERFECT TIME TO RE. IMAGINE