Passenger Rail Task Force

Public Participation

Purpose

In 2010 the City Council appointed the Passenger Rail Task Force (PRTF) to advise the Council on several specific issues related to the future provision of passenger rail service--local, regional and long-distance--to the City of Raleigh. The Task Force engages in fact finding and deliberations and makes reports and recommendations on each issue in order of urgency. The Task Force has been charged with the following 10 tasks:

1. Recommend which track alignment is preferred for SEHSR (Southeast High Speed Rail) as it approaches Raleigh Union Station from the north side. The two alternatives under consideration are the Norfolk Southern route via Glenwood Yard on the west side of Capital Boulevard or the CSX route on the east side of Capital Boulevard.
2. Recommend the preferred option (tracks above ground or underground) for the Blue Ridge Road with Hillsborough Street intersection by the Fairgrounds, weighing financial cost against economic development potential.
3. Recommend the preferred Triangle Transit mode and track alignment for Raleigh's Union Station.
4. Recommend preferred western and northern termini and individual station locations for the first phase of Triangle Transit rail service.
5. Evaluate the West Street Extension proposal.
6. Evaluate the proposed North Carolina Railroad commuter rail proposal.
7. Recommend the preferred options for CAT service connections between the current Moore Square Station and Union Station.
8. Evaluate possible closures of rail corssings in West Raleigh and impacts on Transit Oriented Development planning.
9. Recommend the optimal site for Raleigh's Union Station by first recommending the ideal service elements required for the station, then comparing those service elements to the proposed Erecting Shop site inside Boylan Wye and alternative sites for Union Station that may subsequently be identified.
10. Recommend Commuter Rail stops within the Raleigh city limits for the proposed Triangle Transit Commuter Rail system.

Members