John D. Claflin, who led the Triangle's failed bid for federal money to build a 28-mile commuter train line, resigned Friday after four years as the Triangle Transit Authority's general manager.

"He's a railroad builder," said Carter Worthy of Raleigh, chairman of the TTA trustees. "We're not doing that now. It seemed like a good turning point."

Claflin's departure comes as TTA and Triangle leaders prepare to start a fresh study of the region's traffic problems and possible transit solutions. TTA said last month it had failed in its 11-year quest for federal approval to build an $810 million train line.

Claflin has declined interview requests since TTA's Aug. 17 announcement, and he did not return calls seeking comment on his resignation. In a statement released Friday by TTA, Claflin cited TTA's "recent shift in direction" and said the time was right for "new leadership to pursue TTA's mission."

Triangle elected officials agreed.

"It makes sense for the Triangle Transit Authority to reorganize now, to help develop a new plan for regional transit and to develop a lot more public support with it," Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said.

For the first time since 1995, TTA no longer has rail transit as its central mission.

"We are moving into a new challenge, and we need to focus on our funding and on having a regional conversation about how we can best serve the Triangle," said Bill Strom, a Chapel Hill Town Council member and TTA trustee.

"Just the fact that they're not going to be focused on rail appeals to more people now," said Tony Gurley, chairman of the Wake commissioners and a critic of TTA's rail project.

Claflin helped build and run light-rail lines in Denver and Portland, Ore., before he took charge of TTA in 2002. As TTA's general manager, he was responsible for a three-county bus line, ride-sharing programs and other services, but the rail project was his primary job.

Claflin's resignation is effective Sept. 30. He will receive six months of his annual salary, $178,542, as severance pay.

Saundra Freeman, TTA's finance director, and Wib Gulley, TTA counsel, will split the top administrative duties until the trustees pick an interim manager. TTA trustees said the search for a permanent manager probably will not start for several months.

"I don't think the board has discussed what type of person we want to lead us in the future, because we ourselves haven't decided what that future is," said Durham Mayor Bill Bell, a TTA trustee.

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