Where should the Triangle put its transit dollars?

The trains were supposed to be rolling by now. Remember? December 2007 was the scheduled launch date for a 28-mile rail transit link between Durham and Raleigh. Many people looked forward to zipping across the region on little trains that would stop at universities, at Research Triangle Park and in the increasingly vibrant city centers at each end.

But the federal government balked at picking up 50 to 60 percent of the tab -- concluding in 2006 that Triangle Transit Authority trains would not carry enough riders to justify the $810 million cost.

So a 29-member citizen panel, convened by elected officials in three Triangle counties, has spent the past eight months rethinking the region's transit priorities.

What should we build, and how should we pay for it?

The Special Transit Advisory Commission is mapping out proposals to extend rail, streetcar and expanded bus service across Wake, Durham and Orange counties -- and into bustling bedroom communities nearby.

The group faces some of the same challenges Triangle leaders addressed in 1995, when TTA's rail line was conceived as the backbone of a public transportation network to be built out over the next few decades.

The region's sprawling, relentless growth shows little sign of slowing. The three core counties are expected to add 800,000 residents -- essentially another Wake County -- by 2030.

But much has changed since 1995.

Highway expansion has slowed and traffic congestion has thickened. Bus ridership has increased nationally and even more locally. Gasoline prices have surpassed $3 a gallon for regular -- double what we paid at the pump just four years ago.

The biggest changes affecting our transit future are fiscal and political.

The 1995 TTA plan counted on heavy federal funding and a healthy share from the state, but it was weak on local financial and political support.

This time there is little hope for big help from Washington. Nothing will happen without local buy-in.

At the end of February, the Special Transit Advisory Commission is to recommend where to start -- and how to pay for transit investments that could cost $6 billion or more over the next three decades. Its proposals are expected to include new local taxes to cover the lion's share.

Before city and county officials act on any recommendations, they'll be waiting to hear what we want -- and what we're willing to spend. Learn more about the issue in today's Q, then share your ideas.