The Triangle should regroup around a new regional transit plan

The end of the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project was a train wreck without a train.

GoTriangle, the regional transportation authority that coordinated the $2.7 billion project, gave up on constructing the 18-mile route from Chapel Hill to Durham after spending $130 million in taxpayer money. That decision in March left unclaimed $1.25 billion in federal funding that had been available for the rail line.

Now a report commissioned by GoTriangle has reviewed the broken plan to see what went wrong and suggest how mass transit may yet go right in the Triangle. The report’s conclusion: The project was too big for GoTriangle to take on without the broad and consistent support of key partners in the project, namely the state, Duke University and the owners of existing rail lines.

In an unsurprising recommendation, the report from the American Public Transportation Association said the Triangle’s next transit effort needs to be “a highly detailed and choreographed strategy” and that should begin with the search for a new GoTriangle CEO to replace Jeff Mann, who recently stepped down.

Wrong turns

There are many reasons the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project went off track. A big factor was transit denial among Triangle and state Republicans. When Republicans controlled the Wake County Board of Commissioners they refused to support a light-rail system, leaving Durham and Orange to go it alone. Legislative Republicans further undermined the effort by cutting the state’s share of construction costs from 25 percent to 7.7 percent and setting arbitrary deadlines that GoTriangle strained to meet. Duke University’s abrupt withdrawal of support was the final blow.

The failure of the Durham-Orange effort was discouraging, but it was also instructive. Such a big regional project needs broad and unwavering support. It starts with taxpayers, who have shown a willingness so pay for mass transit. Then it requires cooperation from the railroads and the willingness of Triangle counties to work as one. The business community and the Triangle’s universities need to be on board. Finally, the legislature must overcome its tendency to pit rural areas against urban areas and realize that vibrant cities are what drive a strong North Carolina economy that benefits everyone.

Transit benefits

The need for transit options is as obvious as an I-40 traffic jam. But the benefits are not limited to additional ways to get around. Access to transit drives up property values, revitalizes poorer areas and encourages denser housing along transit lines. More housing means more affordable housing. And there are other benefits. A recent report from American Public Transit Association and the National Association of Realtors found that one in four households near transit does not own a vehicle. And those households spend $2,500 to $4,400 less on transportation. That’s good for the planet and for the pocketbook.

It’s clear that the Triangle cannot move forward as an urban area if it lacks mass transit. Better bus systems are part of the answer, as are the bus rapid transit lines that are coming into place. But rail — both commuter rail and light rail — ultimately must be part of the mix.

The effort to add rail failed in Durham and Orange counties, but that should only strengthen the desire of the Triangle’s government, university and business leaders to launch projects that will succeed. If the Triangle is to become a truly connected region, it can’t accept that transit has come to a dead end.