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Greater Triangle Commuter Rail Alternatives Analysis Preliminary Results
Bret Martin, CAMPO Staff and Katharine Eggleston, GoTriangle Staff
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GoTriangle, as the designated project sponsor for the commuter rail corridor identified in the Wake County Transit Plan, is nearing completion of an alternatives analysis/feasibility study for a commuter rail project within the corridor. The study has evaluated:
1) The ability for the corridor to accommodate varying levels of service;
2) To what extent infrastructure improvements would need to be made to accommodate various service scenarios and the cost of those improvements;
3) The cost of other capital requirements, such as rolling stock, to accommodate the service scenarios;
4) Ridership projections for the service scenarios yielded by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Simplified Trips On Project Software (STOPS) modeling framework;
5) A planning-level project implementation schedule; and
6) Risks that could impact project feasibility, including cost and schedule impacts.
This evaluation was applied to a variety of project termini scenarios along the North Carolina Railroad corridor between Selma in Johnston County and Mebane in Alamance County. The ultimate goal of the study is to equip GoTriangle and its regional partners with more detailed information on the productivity, feasibility, and project delivery requirements of a commuter rail project within the corridor.
Preliminary results from the study will be shared with the Executive Board at its January 15th meeting. It is anticipated that discussions on next steps for potential project implementation will continue with the TCC and Executive Board beyond January that will ultimately lead to a decision on when, how, and to what extent a project within the corridor will be studied further.
Requested Action: Action Receive as information