Cost of proposed Greater Triangle Commuter Rail increases

On Tuesday afternoon, Go Triangle staff presented results of a two year study about a proposed line which would run from West Durham all the way to Garner or Clayton.

The presentation prompted a passionate discussion from Durham County Commissioners over the future of commuter rail – and the challenges this new transit faces.

Go Triangle's study on the proposed commuter rail shows it could cost roughly $3 billion. That number has gone up significantly due to inflation and other factors.

The new study shows the Triangle is projected to have a million more residents by 2050 than today.

The current congestion map shows back-ups on some roads, highlighted in red, but 2050 projection looks quite different. It becomes a very congested looking map, and officials say they want to avoid getting to that point.

Durham County Commissioners say they are feeling the urgency to move quickly.

"The discussion should not just be about, here are the challenges, but, what are the costs of not moving forward?" said Wendy Jacobs, Vice Chair of the Durham County Commission.

Go Triangle staff discussed the possibility of constructing the rail in phases.

Commissioners were in favor - but they want Durham to be one of the first places they break ground.

"Talking about regional rail, Durham cannot be put on the back end," said Brenda Howerton, Chair of the Durham County Commission.

"We have skin in the game. We've been working on this for a long time," said Jacobs.

The study's implementation date for the rail is between 2033 and 2035.