City Council Endorses Old Warehouse Building to be Rail Station Site
A former warehouse building on the west end of Martin Street near railroad tracks in Downtown Raleigh should be retrofitted to accommodate a new rail station, the City Council determined today. Council members voted unanimously to endorse the site, upholding a recommendation from the City’s Passenger Rail Task Force.
The vacant warehouse, called the Dillon Viaduct Building, would house the train station component of Raleigh’s proposed Union Station. Built in the 1940s, the former Dillon Supply warehouse is owned by the Triangle Transit Authority. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is leading a study to determine the feasibility of using the warehouse to accommodate the proposed rail station. If it is deemed feasible, the renovated warehouse would be first-phase development of the Union Station facility, which is expected to further enhance economic development on Downtown’s west end.
Last October, Raleigh voters approved a $40 million transportation bond issue that included $3 million in improvements for the planned Union Station multimodal complex. State and federal funds totaling $30 million would also be used for the first phase of the facility.
The existing Amtrak Station on Cabarrus Street can no longer adequately serve an increasing number of rail passengers and must be replaced with a larger facility. Raleigh’s proposed Union Station would be a hub located in Downtown. It would connect Raleigh’s multiple transportation modes, including Capital Area Transit bus service; Triangle Transit’s regional bus service; long-distance bus service (Greyhound); Amtrak rail service; the Silver Star, Carolinian and Piedmont rail services; and future local and regional rail transit, including high-speed rail services. Union Station would be among the first facilities in the state to have a high-level platform that allows passengers to board trains without the need for steps.
Last month, the City’s Passenger Rail Task Force voted unanimously to send a letter to the City Council endorsing the Viaduct Building site for the new rail station.
Passenger Rail Task Force letter
The City Council appointed the 11-member Passenger Rail Task Force to work with City staff and to advise the City Council on several specific issues related to the future provision of passenger rail service to Raleigh, be it locally, regionally, or long-distance.
The Dillion Viaduct Building proposal is part of a larger effort to create a transit hub in Downtown Raleigh to locate Amtrak, High-Speed rail, commuter rail, light rail, regional and local buses in one general location. The transit hub is called Union Station, named after the original Union_Station Final Report , which was located at the corner of Martin and Dawson Streets.
Location |
Martin Street, Raleigh |
Website |
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References
"City Council Endorses Old Warehouse Building to be Rail Station Site". Official City of Raleigh News. Retrieved 1/32012.