Although Triangle leaders haven't figured how to cover the big cost of laying tracks and buying rail cars, a poll shows that many residents want commuter trains in the region's future.

In surveys last week, almost 80 percent of those interviewed said the Triangle needed some form of improved mass transit. Roughly 39 percent said the Triangle needs rail. Bus service, carpooling and bike lanes drew less support. Only about 22 percent said none of those are needed.

"I fully support getting a rail system going and encouraging people to use public transportation," Ellen C. Bush, 33, of Durham, who took part in the survey, said in an interview. "We can't keep growing and putting more people on the roads."

The poll, conducted for The News & Observer and WRAL-TV, gauged the opinions of likely voters in Wake, Durham and Orange counties; 600 residents of each county were surveyed.

Controlling growth and traffic congestion were cited in the poll as the region's two most important problems. Education ran a distant third.

The strength of support for trains and other mass transit improvements varied slightly among the counties.

Asked whether they would use a commuter rail system if it were built, 55 percent of survey respondents in Wake and 58 percent in Orange said they were very likely or somewhat likely. In Durham County, 46 percent said they would ride the rails, while 50 percent said they were likely to use a regional bus system.

But State Rep. Paul B. Stam of Apex said he doubted commuter trains could ever draw so many riders in the sprawling Triangle. Construction and ticket costs, funding sources and rail routes were not addressed in the survey. Such details would inevitably limit the appeal of an actual rail system, he said.

"I think a combination of buses and HOV [high-occupancy vehicle] lanes, which include carpooling and vanpooling, could really make a huge dent in traffic congestion at a much lower cost," Stam said. "But people just have sort of an idea what a bus is like, and it doesn't have such a good cachet."

The survey findings come as Triangle mayors, business leaders and planners are rethinking long-range transit plans.

The Triangle Transit Authority in August gave up an 11-year quest for 60 percent federal funding to help build a 28-mile, $810 million commuter train line linking Durham, Research Triangle Park, Cary and Raleigh. Federal regulators said TTA trains would not attract enough passengers to justify the expense.

Triangle critics called on TTA to look for something else -- such as highway lanes set aside for express buses -- that might serve more riders at less cost.

Several business leaders and elected officials have said they still believe in trains. But they'll take a fresh look at other routes and technologies, and at sources of funds to replace the federal money for which TTA had hoped.

"We shouldn't let the financing drive the vision," Durham Mayor Bill Bell said. "The important thing is to get buy-in from the general public about what kind of system they want, and then go out and try to find the dollars."

David D. King, TTA interim manager, said the survey confirms that residents expect Triangle leaders to solve these problems.

"It's our job to figure out what to do and how to pay for it," King said. "They want us to get on with it. I see a sense of urgency."

Bush said her commute isn't bad -- a 10-mile trip to UNC Press in Chapel Hill, where she works as a copy writer. She carpools sometimes and hopes to see more Triangle transit options.

"I'm always conscious of being alone in my car," Bush said, "and surrounded by people who are alone in their cars."