Wake County Public Transit Plan

One of the most important steps the Triangle can take to plan for projected and significant population growth is to build a regional public transit system that can move people efficiently and guide new development. This is why leaders from Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties jointly agreed to a vision for expanding bus service and creating passenger rail across the Triangle.  Now each county has developed specific plans for its part of the expanded bus, commuter rail, and light rail services.  Durham County has already approved its plan, and Durham voters in November 2011 approved a transit funding referendum by 60%. Wake and Orange Counties are next…

Wake’s Transit Proposal

Wake County has worked with Triangle Transit and local city/town officials to develop a proposal for expanding and improving public transit in Wake that also connects regionally to Durham and Orange.  The draft plan is derived from a county-wide bus study and extensive rail analysis prepared by many stakeholders.  It relies on a conservative set of financial and growth rate assumptions.  The draft plan proposes to connect all 12 Wake municipalities, employment centers, universities/colleges, and the RDU airport.  It is currently is being reviewed by city and county elected officials, and is open for public input.  Learn more below or visit www.capitalareafriendsoftransit.org or www.ourtransitfuture.org.

Add a captionWake Bus plan

 

Core Transit Plan – 1st phase:  This first phase would be paid for with local ½ cent sales tax (that must be approved by voters via referendum) as well as a vehicle registration fee increase.

 1.     Expand and Improve Bus

  • Goal:  Double bus service in Wake to 322,000 hours annually;
  • Expand bus routes and increase frequency of buses to every 15 minutes during peak hours; add bus shelters/benches; connect all 12 Wake towns to Raleigh, job centers, universities, RDU
  • Timing:  implemented in the first 2-5 years
  • Cost:  approximately $344 million (capital and operating costs)

2.     Commuter Passenger Rail

  • Goal:  Provide rush-hour rail between Durham-RTP-Cary-Raleigh-Garner;
  • Trains to run every 30 minutes during peak hours and every 60 minutes off-peak;
  • 12 rail stations, with 9 stations in Wake County and some with park-and-ride lots
  • Timing:  implemented in 5-6 years
  • Cost:  approximately $330 million (capital costs)

 

Enhanced Transit Plan – 2nd phase:  This second phase requires federal and state funding as well as local revenue.

      Light Rail

  •   Goal:  Electric trains on new track linking neighborhoods with more frequent stops that would encourage economic and transit-oriented development;
  •  Trains running every 10 minutes during peak hours and 20 minutes off-peak;
  •  Rail line would run 13.9 miles from downtown Cary, through West and downtown Raleigh, and up to Millbrook Rd., eventually expanding to NW Cary/Morrisville and up to Triangle Town Center;
  • 16 light rail stations, with some over-lapping with commuter rail stations;
  •   Coordinates with local bus service
  •   Timing:  implemented over 10 years
  •   Costs:  $1.1 billion for construction and $14 million for annual operations

 

                                        Commuter Rail Plan      Light Rail Plan

 

Next Steps for the Plan

The Wake transit plan is under review by local elected officials. The public is strongly encouraged to contact town councilors and the Wake Board of Commissioners to share views and express support for the plan!  Here’s what’s next:

  1. Public presentations to the 12 municipalities through Spring 2012 (dates on website below).
  2. Inter-Local Agreements (ILAs) need to be approved by the 12 municipalities.
  3. Wake Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing in 2012.
  4. Wake Commissioners must vote on approving the plan and decide whether or not to put a ½ cent sales tax transit-funding referendum on the November 6, 2012 ballot.
  5. Wake voters would vote on the ½ cent sales tax referendum – maybe 2012 or 2013.

 

How Can We Make the Plan a Reality?

Let your local leaders know that transit is important to the Triangle!  Urge your mayor and town councilors to support the plan and ILA.  Urge the Wake Board of Commissioners to approve the transit plan and hold the referendum.  Remember, without the local funding, we can’t build the public transit!  Visit www.capitalareafriendsoftransit.org to find out how to contact local officials.

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 To add YOUR NAME to CAFT (free), visit www.capitalareafriendsoftransit.org.

To schedule a transit presentation for a community organization, contact [email protected].

To learn more about transit plan, visit www.ourtransitfuture.org.     

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