1997 the NC General Assembly, subject to County approvals, authorized Triangle Transit to levy a rental vehicle tax of up to 5% of gross receipts. GoTriangle improves our regions quality of life by connecting people and places with safe, reliable, and easy to use travel choices. Statement regarding Orange and Durham counties' light-rail project, GoTriangle submits light rail proposal to Federal Transit Administration that includes a tunnel through downtown Durham. The initial cost-share was 77% for Durham County and 23% for Orange County. The Triangle is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Durham and Orange counties' light-rail project has been discontinued as of April 2019. Research Triangle Park, NC (March 27, 2019)The GoTriangle Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to recommend that the cost-sharing partners in Durham and Orange counties and the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization discontinue the light-rail project. Greater Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Region (Durham MSA, part of the, Greater Raleigh Metropolitan Region (Raleigh-Cary MSA, part of the, Connecting local municipal transit systems, North Carolina Secretary of Transportation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2022", American Public Transportation Association, "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2021", "History of transit planning in the Triangle", "TTA gives up on federal funding for rail project", "Light rail may improve Duke-Durham connections", "History of transit planning in the Triangle | Our Transit Future", "Welcome to the Regional Transit BluePrint website! LoginAsk is here to help you access Go Durham Access Paratransit quickly and handle each specific case you encounter. [7] By 1998, preliminary engineering and environmental planning of the project was underway. During the three phases of the company, they went through three livery changes. There is also a door-to-door service for the elderly (60+) and riders with disabilities. Based on all of those factors and our most recent meeting with the FTA, I am asking today that the board recommend that the cost-sharing partners from Durham and Orange counties and the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) discontinue the light-rail project. The Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project will provide greater access to jobs, education, and healthcare. In late 2007, due to rising project costs and a change in federal New Starts cost-benefits formulas, Triangle Transit elected not to submit a New Starts application for FTA funding. Given the fate of the last two major projects, GoTriangle, and its regional partners, should consider a reset, or at a minimum a . Since that report, GoTriangle has estimated light rail spending at $158.5 million. As part of the process, GoTriangle seeks public input on the recently Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) project due to challenges in securing agreements from key stakeholders within . This. All buses have bike racks on, which can support up to two bikes. This project will connect residents to many of our areas top employers, provide access to high-quality medical care and educational opportunities and help our local governments prepare for growth by fostering compact development along a high-capacity transportation network. The first one, used by TTA until 2007, utilized a white, dark green, and black body with a single stripe in the white body. Jan 1998 TTA, in cooperation with the FTA, initiated the Preliminary Engineering (PE) phase of project development and started preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Regional Rail Transit System. As you know, Duke has refused to sign a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle and more recently denied our request to continue conversation through mediation. [13] The line would have had 18 stations[13] (4 stations in Orange County, 14 stations in Durham County); end-to-end travel time would have been 4244 minutes. All buses are Wi-Fi enabled, either built-in or retrofitted for any model before 2017. The Senior Transit Service Planner is responsible for developing and analyzing bus route and schedule plans, including near-term transit service alternatives, intermediate-term service plans, and long-range service concepts. [11] The original project was estimated at $1.4 billion (in 2011). There was no good way to spin it. Durham County documentation showed $130,922,132 went toward the management and design of the proposed light rail project. Here is the current bus roster as of October 2022. The D-O LRT project is a 17.7-mile line that will provide over 26,000 trips per day to residents and commuters in Durham and Chapel Hill. The board acted on the recommendation of GoTriangle President and CEO Jeff Mann, who read this statement: The light-rail project has been considered the spine of Durham and Orange counties transit plans since Durham voters in 2011 and Orange voters in 2012 approved a half-cent sales tax to invest in significant public transit improvements. Job Description. GoTriangle's ability to implement its plans for the future. GEC expenses totaled $86,775,632. The Durham-Orange Light Rail Project is an investment in creating more jobs and strengthening our state's economy. GoDurham is the transit system for the city of Durham, which currently operates 20 fixed bus routes, 19 of which serve Durham Station as well as offering paratransit services. DR was the General Engineering Consultant (GEC). GoTriangle was planning a 17.7-mile (28.5km) light rail line between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Durham, traveling through Duke University and paralleling the North Carolina Railroad alignment through Durham[10] and proceeding to North Carolina Central University (NCCU). This page was last edited on 6 November 2022, at 10:54. Over the years, the two counties have used this approved light-rail alignment as a basis for land-use, economic development and affordable housing plans to best accommodate the more than 7,000 people the counties are adding each year. Research Triangle Park, NC (March 27, 2019) - The GoTriangle Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to recommend that the cost-sharing partners in Durham and Orange counties and the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization discontinue the light-rail project. That doesnt includean FTA requirementto identify a source for up to 10 percent of the project costs to cover potential cost overruns or revenue shortfalls, the cost of borrowing or possible costs associated with pursuing eminent domain to secure the remaining land needed. [14], After the failure of the DurhamOrange Light Rail project, GoTriangle began studying the possibility of instating a commuter rail service which would serve Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Research Triangle Park, and Garner, possibly as far as Clayton.[15]. After pulling the plug on the Durham-Orange light rail project last year, the Regional Transportation Alliance business coalition (RTA), GoTriangle, and the NC Department of Transportation are now . The 1989 session of the North Carolina General Assembly enabled the creation of the Triangle Transit Authority as a regional public transportation authority serving Durham, Orange, and Wake counties. Right shows the current GoTriangle livery used since 2015. Regional operates during weekdays, mostly during rush hours. HNTB was the Program Management Consultant (PMC). [7] In 2003, the FTA issued a record of decision and allowed the project to move into final design. May 2001 The DEIS was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and all applicable federal rules and regulations. [12] The plan was amended to extend to NCCU in November 2016, projecting 26,880 daily trips in 2040. It serves the general public and the clients of community service agencies, primarily in rural areas of the County. From their discussions, a Scoping Report was published and identified all human and natural environment aspects of the project that required additional analysis and consideration during the EIS phase. Even under current demands, the roadway network and transit systems between Durham and Chapel Hill are beginning to strain. For more information please contact Brad Schulz at 919-485-7434, bschulz@gotriangle.org or Mike Charbonneau at 919-485-7413, mcharbonneau@gotriangle.org. Last week I traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with representatives of the Federal Transit Administration and had some very frank conversations. The light rail project is an important part of Durham and Orange Countys long range transportation, growth and development plans and voters there approved a local half-cent sales tax in 2011 and 2012 to fund the local investment. In December, Norfolk Southern expressed concerns regarding railroad operations, and stakeholders, including Duke University, expressed concerns over light-rail plans calling for a section of Blackwell Street to be closed to vehicles. On February 27, 2019, Duke informed GoTriangle that it would not be able to sign a cooperative agreement for the donation of land and rights of way to the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) project due to significant unresolved issues regarding segment of the line that would run above Erwin Road directly adjacent to Duke's hospital . [4] Planning began on a new light rail project between Durham and Chapel Hill in 2013.[5]. As part of a strong transit plan, the light-rail project will connect to current and future transit services including GoTriangles bus systems, the commuter rail project and the bus rapid transit. In April 2012, a Notice of Intent (NOI) was published in the Federal Register indicating that the Federal Transit Administration and Triangle Transit intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Durham-Orange LRT project only. The GoTriangle Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to recommend that the cost-sharing partners in Durham and Orange counties and the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization discontinue the light-rail project. Most of the management and design expenses came from four major consulting contracts, which the GoTriangle Board of Trustees approved. Light rail is a transit technology that uses lighter rail cars than traditional passenger rail systems like subways or commuter rails. Check out our TriMet video. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 1,362,700, or about 5,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2022. On July 28, 2017, the Federal Transit Administration approved the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project to advance into the engineering phase of the federal Capital Investment Grant Program. At the end of chief financial officer Saundra Freeman's . This document guides regional transit planning efforts today. PDC expenses totaled $26,722,828. When light rail connects Durham and Orange counties, residents will have greater access to jobs, health care and educational opportunities. Research Triangle Park, NC (June 6, 2018) - In explaining a provision in the proposed state budget that directly affects only light-rail transit projects, lawmakers last week suggested there may be some "ambiguity" in the requirements to receive federal funding for large transit projects like Durham and Orange counties' light rail. In a major blow to proponents of light rail, the GoTriangle Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday, March 27, to end the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project. Contact your city's public works and public transportation departments 2.) Scoping meetings for the D-O LRT project took place in May 2012 in order to bring together elected officials and regulatory agencies (the US Department of Transportation, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers, and others). Twenty years of planning, $130 million already spentall circling the drain. The news was a gut punch. The GoTriangle name was adopted in 2015 as part of the consolidated GoTransit branding scheme for the Triangle. The rail project will connect three major universities, three major medical facilities and three of the top 10 employers in the state: Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care. Copyright 2022 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. These routes link into farther regions of the Triangle or provide additional service to existing core routes. Despite the switchover to GoTriangle, some buses operating that were made before 2012 retains the old Triangle Transit livery. An independent economic analysis found the project will: Support 20,000 new jobs within rail station areas and an additional 10,000 jobs outside of rail stations in Durham and Orange counties. The Durham-Orange Light Rail Project is an investment in creating more jobs and strengthening our states economy. As a result, the project team proposed a new tunnel option for the light rail in downtown Durham. Passengers will have direct access on the light rail line, without looking for limited parking, to: The University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals in Chapel Hill, Durham Veterans Administration (VA) and Duke University Medical Centers, Downtown Durham employers, services, entertainment and retail. Freeman explained how the plan was to get the Federal Transit Administration to pay for 50% of the proposed rail project via a grant. "I think . The STAC completed its work in May 2008 and has provided its recommendations to the area's two planning organizations: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO).[8]. Full-Time. As weve stated many times, the project would create and support tens of thousands of new jobs and infuse billions of dollars into our local and state economies. On Wednesday, Duke told GoTriangle it was out. On March 17, 2008, after 15 years as Triangle Transit Authority, the Board of Trustees changed the agency's name and logo to Triangle Transit. The Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC), which met between May 2007 and April 2008, was a broad-based citizen group with 38 members from across the Research Triangle Region. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Durham County documentation showed $130,922,132 went toward the management and design of the proposed light rail project. The new light rail and commuter rail provisions: Limit the state investment in any passenger rail project to a maximum of 10 percent of the total project cost. The FTA would have provided funding for its part of the agreement when construction started, Freeman said. Triangle Transit Board Chair Sig Hutchinson announced its new promise to the Triangle: Triangle Transit improves our regions quality of life by connecting people and places with reliable, safe, and easy-to-use travel choices that reduce congestion and energy use, save money, and promote sustainability, healthier lifestyles, and a more environmentally responsible community. This tax, effective January 1, 1998, will finance future capital projects. They also operate paratransit buses for their ACCESS program. Durham County commissioners got an update Monday from GoTriangle on a proposed commuter rail line connecting Durham and Wake Counties. The new budget removes a $500 thousand cap on light rail projects that was inserted late last session, but also includes new, restrictive passenger rail provisions that would further compromise the integrity of the Strategic Transportation Investments law (the transparent, data-driven transportation funding process enacted in 2013 with broad bi-partisan support) and create new funding and timing challenges for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) project. Learn More When the company revamped itself to GoTriangle, it used the same livery as the other GoTransit operators around them. "The community advocates who have supported this light-rail project stand ready to work with our elected officials and GoTriangle in the necessary and continuing work to provide affordable,. We remain committed to improving transit in the Triangle and will work with our county partners to determine what elements of the existing community investment can be repurposed as we move forward. Congestion continues to increase, and as more people move to our area all residents and visitors will experience increased travel times and sprawl compromising our open space and rural areas. GoTriangle is a supporting agency of the Special Transit Advisory Commission's work to plan for the region's transit future. When completed, the Durham-Orange light rail is projected to move about 23-thousand people a day (6.7 million a year) along a 17 mile corridor, helping take thousands of cars off heavily congested roads including I-40, NC 54 and US 15-501. She said how GoTriangle leaders met with FTA representatives daily, weekly and monthly depending on the needs of the project. The state previously programmed $138 million for the first ten years of the DOLRT project after it scored highly through the transportation funding formula in 2015, under the Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law, which is designed to take politics out of transportation planning by ranking projects based on factors including congestion relief, safety and economic competitiveness. Create several thousand more jobs in 14 other counties that comprises the Research Triangle area and 1,300 additional jobs in other counties across the state. The new unit of local government was chartered by the NC Secretary of State on December 1, 1989. We appreciate the hard work of our many project supporters, who understand that the DOLRT project will better connect all neighborhoods in the corridor to education; healthcare, including the Veterans hospital; and jobs, including direct access to three of the states top ten employers.. The $2.7-billion project would have included a nearly 18-mile railway connecting UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill with Duke University, but significant setbacks and obstacles killed the plan. The STAC was appointed by CAMPO and DCHC to assist in the joint development of a plan for a regional transit system and to craft recommendations for the transit component of their respective Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTPs), with a focus on major transit investments. From GoTriangle General Manager Jeff Mann on the proposed budget announced last night at the General Assembly: We are disappointed by the new, restrictive light rail and commuter rail provisions inserted this legislative session that compromise the integrity of the data-driven transportation funding law passed in 2013, and create new funding and delivery challenges for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project (DOLRT). All information about the project is now outdated but available here as part of the historical record. The financial plan also anticipated that $102.5 million in light-rail project funding would come from other public and private sources, including property donations through the GoTransit Partners Capital Campaign. [13][12] The line was projected to begin construction in 2020 and be complete by 2028 but ultimately was discontinued in April 2019. The DOLRT project is critical transportation infrastructure that will move about 23-thousand people a day along a heavily congested 17-mile corridor, while creating thousands of new jobs and adding $175 Million in annual state and local tax revenue. Growth brings prosperity and new employment opportunities but also adds congestion to our roadways. It uses a yellow-green body with orange, white, and blue waves on the body. Evaluation of the Wake Corridor and the Durham-Wake Corridor options continues in the background.[7]. To analyze the future of regional rail in the Triangle, a partnership between TTA, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC), NC Department of Transportations Public Transportation Division (NCDOT), and Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) jointly conducted The Transit Blueprint Technical Analysis Project. Over the past six months, new challenges have made those deadlines increasingly difficult to meet and contributed to additional project costs. Years of transportation studies identified the corridor between Durham and Chapel Hill as one of the highest priority corridors for transit investment. On Monday afternoon, commissioners also said they want GoTriangle leaders to learn from defunct rail line when considering the proposed commuter rail that would connect Durham and Clayton. Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) was a planned 17.7-mile (28.5 km) light rail line in central North Carolina. In March, GoTriangle abandoned its long-in-the-works light-rail plans after Duke University effectively vetoed the proposed route along Erwin Road in Durham. There were proposals to extend this corridor 7 miles to Chapel Hill with light rail technology. Feb 2003 Following the issuance of the ROD, the FTA approved TTAs request to enter Final Design. [1] The adopted bill also ties state funding into future projects.[7]. GoTriangle Supports "Bike to the Ballpark" Event in Durham, Rider Story: "We go together because it's priceless father-son time.". As a result, work on the regional rail system was suspended in order to reexamine costs and future funding options.[7]. The Durham Orange Light Rail project ground to a halt today as the GoTriangle board of trustees voted to discontinue planning for the 18-mile line from Chapel Hill to Durham. Gannett-Fleming/WSP joint venture was the Construction Management Consultant (CMC). Require the DOLRT project to go back through the scoring process in two years, to compete again for state funding. Add $175 Million in new state and local tax revenues per year, Add $4.7 Billion to Durham and Orange Counties Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year, The project will contribute over $600 million in the production of additional goods and services statewide. GoTriangle, which operates buses in Wake, Durham and Orange counties, was the leading force behind a. At this point, the counties would have to identify a path to cover the loss of the states $190 million, the additional$237 million in project costs and contingency, and the approximately $87 million shortfall in fundraising efforts. It also means our region is on track to receive a federal investment of $1 billion. A final environmental impact statement was released by GoTriangle in February 2016, projecting 23,020 daily trips in 2040. All rights reserved. "It's . With passage in the NC General Assembly in summer 2009, Governor Bev Perdue signed the bill into law in August 2009. An independent economic analysis found the project will: Support 20,000 new jobs within rail station areas and an additional 10,000 jobs outside of rail stations in Durham and Orange counties. Instead of biting off more than they can chew, officials have decided to cut a light rail line into smaller pieces. LIGHT-RAIL PROJECT OVERVIEW This displays all the liveries used by TTA, Triangle Transit, and GoTriangle. PMC expenses totaled $12,065,515. A warm fall day, the company of friends and a bus ride to dine out made for a fun time for teens and young adults from 3 Bluebirds Farm on an outing with GoTriangle staff designed introduce them to riding a public bus. County Commissions have the authority to call for a referendum when they are satisfied with the transit plans they have decided upon and are ready to go to the voters for funding. By providing a congestion-free alternative, light rail will help manage future growth while creating vibrant, walkable communities and connecting residents to jobs, education and health care. Durham County passed a one-half cent sales tax for transit in November 2011. Go Durham Access Paratransit will sometimes glitch and take you a long time to try different solutions. The 17.7-mile light-rail line will provide over 26,000 trips per day to residents and commuters in Durham and Chapel Hill. These routes makes little stops, with non-stop sections mostly covering the route and also directly links two major destinations. In late 2007, due to rising project costs and a change in federal New Starts cost-benefits formulas, Triangle Transit elected not to submit a New Starts application for FTA funding. The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle (previously Triangle Transit and Triangle Transit Authority or TTA), provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties. The FTA also informed GoTriangle that the downtown Durham project change would require a significant amount of additional environmental study and review. Core operates everyday of the week and provides essential regional connections. Learn more about the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project by visiting ourtransitfuture.com or by attending our quarterly public meetings, requesting a presentation, signing up to receive GoTriangle emails or following GoTriangle on social media. A coalition of transit, transportation, and environmental groups joined to support State House Bill 148, providing for future referendums for funding transit projects using voter-approved sales taxes. The 2018 legislative change also required that all other nonfederal funds for the project be committed by April 30, 2019, and all federal funds no later than Nov. 30, 2019, for the light rail to receive any state funding for the project. ", "Triangle Transit proposes major changes to light rail in Durham", "Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project Design Refinements | Our Transit Future", "Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina Combined Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision", "Supplemental EA for D-O LRT Project's Proposed NCCU Station Refinement [98 pages]", "Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project: Newsletter 2014", "Durham gets update on commuter rail proposal", Special Transit Advisory Commission Report, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GoTriangle&oldid=1120318760, Transportation in Raleigh, North Carolina, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2204 (only one reported, to be changed when new info). The origins of the project date back to May 2008, Freeman said. Commissioners said the spending caused some in the community to question how their tax dollars are being spent. URS/AECOM was the Project Development Consultant (PDC). Nov. 12, 2019 2:41 p.m. Im upset as a resident of the Triangle.. Research Triangle Park, NC (November 14, 2016) - GoTriangle and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are currently evaluating a potential connection between the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (D-O LRT) Project and North Carolina Central University (NCCU), which enrolls over eight thousand students. In response, GoTriangle reached out to the Most of the management and design expenses came from four major.