Those who used to raise their eyebrows and yawn whenever the subject of mass transit in the Triangle came up might pay a little more attention now. For one thing, ridership on Triangle Transit buses is up thanks to the gas price crisis, and with the area expected to grow tremendously in the next decade, the need for affordable ways to get where we need to go will only increase.

So it's rather good news that an engineering study released last week by the North Carolina Railroad Co. (state-owned, but operated as a private business) says a 141-mile stretch of existing rail corridors from Goldsboro through the Triangle to Greensboro could be used for a passenger rail system. The cost: $1 billion.

The study from an engineering firm found that passenger trains could work during morning and evening rush hours, and could operate in tandem with another transit system being considered for the Triangle. (Federal officials have previously denied funds for the Triangle system, pointing to a lack of density and thus a probable shortage of riders.)

The prospect of a route from Goldsboro in the east to the population centers in the Triangle and the Triad is an exciting one, and it may be that gas prices will get some of those community leaders who have been on the fence to jump down and take a look.

The idea of commuter trains isn't new around here. But the lack of density in the population always has been cited as a reason to "wait until we've got enough people." What's wrong with that logic is that by the time there are enough people, the existing roads will have become even more seriously clogged.

A rail alternative has been on the table for too long. Perhaps this study will provide more evidence to move the idea on down the line.

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