kdub1

The former downtown nightclub kingpin may be going to jail for a long, long time after pleading guilty to loan fraud.

It may have been mentioned here or on another post, but my take on the NS line along Battleground Avenue is that the whole segment from the A&Y Greenwayto downtown is single track, so as a result, converting the line to a greenway would be a better plan than converting it to light rail. Instead, any light rail line serving west central Greensboro would be better off using Church or Eugene, Fisher/Smith, and Battleground for maximum optimization.

The engines are from Toronto's GO Transit

I'll say this, NC4 is by far the best route that has been proposed. While I have never been on board TT's plan to convert its rail line from DMU to LRT, putting part of their route on surface streets like Salisbury and Wilmington would be a good idea because 1) there'd be little conflict among who--Amtrak, CSX, NS, Eastrans, and the future operator of the Jacksonville leg of SEHSR--gets to run their trains on the the rail lines and when and 2) Triangle Transit would complement CAT's R-Line along downtown.

My take: Personally, the state should just let JR Central assume total control of the HSR route--provided that the French, Koreans, or Chinese don't come up with better plans. Simultaneously, FDOT should form a rail authority to operate in-state corridors. The state should definitely take a clue from NC and and staff attendants at certain suburban stations and tourist towns deemed too small to have a full-time agent. While Amtrak might have a prearranged agreement for FEC service, the state should strongly consider other entities for the other routes while it would be understood that connections would be coordinated by the various operators. If Florida follows my advice to a tee, then Jacksonville Union Terminal would be the city's hub while a new North Jacksonville station will be built for commuters and the planned Sunrail LYNX station will be the main Orlando stop. If it looks west to California, then a hypothetical Amtrak Florida would use both the existing station in JAX and Union Terminal and would use Orlando's current Amtrak station as the city's principal stop with several suburban stop to avoid overcrowding. These maps show how an effective intercity rail system can--and should--be built: The maps are based on a blog entry that I did earlier this year.

If Union Station is done on the cheap, then the planned Northeast Transit Center will have to be Raleigh's second primary train station. Such a move would do four things: the area around Triangle Town Center can fulfill its original purpose of being Raleigh's "second downtown" once SEHSR becomes popular enough, it will expand and will serve the facility as a long-term stop--maybe even serve as the northern terminus of the Jacksonville route Wake Forest riders would have an option closer to home The new station won't force people to travel to Cary or Durham because it would be spread out to deal with Union Station's crowding issues I don't know who came up with the bright idea of locating Central Prison near the wye, but it was an error indeed. If the prison were built elsewhere--say Wade Avenue near Glenwood/St. Mary's--then, perhaps Raleigh would have relocated Union Station to the wye, and there'd be no problems. However, your Boylan Wye TOD makes too much sense for the powers that be, and who knows what kind of NIMBYism would erupt if the prison were moved out of downtown? Getting Union Station right the first time may be high stakes, but voters in Raleigh will have to start electing leaders who aren't willing to bas****ize every good project whenever the JLF types start bickering about costs.

As Scooby would say, Rut-roh!

The more I think about it, any plan of TTA doing an all-out Duke Medical-North Raleigh line should be replaced by NCRR because I just don't see the former agency getting any federal money, no matter who's in office and how lenient or strict the standards of transit money allocation are. If TTA still wants light rail, then it should focus on its busiest areas. The conversion from DMUs to light rail was purely reactive. NCRR could break up its proposed commuter service into two categories of Local and Regional. Local trains would serve most of the original TTA route (LRT would still cover the Union Station-NE Raleigh portion) while Regionals would be extended--as indicated in NCRR's plans--to stop outside of the Triangle. Perhaps, TTA could run an LRT line from Union Station to Apex.

Wow, I'm still trying to digest the entire plan! I will try to regain some semblance of sanity as I break down the portions, step by step. Schematics: The city seems hellbent on closing Hargett. In this scenario, it becomes a pedestrian bridge instead of nothing. After all of that, they still found a way to screw up the platforms. Are you kidding me? Rail: This is where things could get tricky (and I haven't even factored Eastrans or other NCDOT intrastate service into the picture). How are the NCRR commuter trains supposed to stop at the south platform when there is only space for one train (and I haven't even factored Eastrans into the picture)? I see three available tracks, SO USE TWO OF THEM and let NS have the other one! The southbound Carolinian would likely have to share that platform with an eastbound NCRR train during rush hours. At least two tracks are needed for the SEHSR/Silver Star/Piedmont platform since it will easily be the most utilized platform out of the three. CAT: At some point, the R-Line will need to be broken up into several routes to better serve downtown destinations. While several existing routes--Falls of Neuse, Crabtree, Northclift--could be relocated to Union Station, a special Union Station-Moore Square circulator (a favorite proposal of mine since day one) would easily provide connections to local transportation. Perhaps certain routes that currently serve the Union Station area could be rerouted and replaced by these R-Line spinoffs. Triangle Transit: This would be an obvious choice for every single bus route that currently misses Moore Square, but it could end up being the home for ALL TT buses. I was previously under the assumption that TT would provide Central Raleigh streetcar/circulator service. Oh well, such a move would allow CAT to operate express buses out of Moore Square. As far as its rail plan goes, it is what it is, quoting John Fox. Shops: Why not? Passengers need to something to remember their experience in the capital city.

Given that a Greensboro-Winston commuter rail connection was supposed to be a part of SEHSR, future passengers in the Camel City will be on their own.

Good plan there, at least that plan utilizes the Wye correctly. For the first question, maybe passing tracks would be needed for freight trains on the NCRR side. As far as sharpness, maybe it's the right degree curve. The HSR side, the Norfolk Southern NS-Line would have to be changed a bit to avoid conflict with other trains. Secondly, I would think that the buses would fit inside the Wye on Martin Street. Not sure how to answer the third question. For the final question, turn Glenwood at Morgan or Morgan at West into a parking deck for trains and development. Parking for buses would be handled on Martin with a kiss and ride for Greyhound, Triangle Transit, and special CAT services. I have never gotten the cheap nature of this city. I'm not saying burn money on needless things, but it wouldn't hurt them to at least beautify this city up a bit. The entire time I was in college, signs at traffic lights (unless I looked on the side of the intersections) were hard to come by, and some of those lights looked as though they were from the 1970s.

On the options through Raleigh: SEHSR Alternative 1 I have mixed feelings on this option. While the route stays on the CSX S-Line the entire time it's in Raleigh, the two platform solution sets up its own benefits and drawbacks. Benefits: Having separate platforms can reduce congestion that would otherwise be caused by HSR, Amtrak, freight, or regional trains. For a through track station, two different areas for boarding would be an innovative concept. Drawbacks: The platforms are about 1

Yeah, the would be the Free Expression Tunnel