DURHAM, NC — Triangle residents chimed in at a public forum on Monday about what impact light-rail trains and buses traveling between Wake, Durham, and Orange counties would have on their communities.

Officials with Triangle Transit Authority say their 25-year transportation renovation plan could either provide riders with an electric light rail system with several stops that costs between $50 to $60 million a mile, or a regional commuter rail 'express rail' with fewer stops at $10 to $12 million a mile.

"The light rail cost is about four or five times that of commuter rail, but they serve quite different purposes," said David King with TTA. "Possibly we would want a little of both depending on what problem we are trying to solve."

A commuter rail could be running in the next four to six years and a light rail could be in place within eight or nine years.

A voter-approved half-cent sales tax increase would be mandatory to fund a system of this magnitude. A referendum on expanded transit around the Triangle could come as early as the fall of 2011.

Future Transportation Forums:

- Durham County Library: June 30
- Cary Town Hall: July 6
- Chapel Hill Town Hall: July 7
- Knightdale Town Hall: July 14
- Apex Halle Center for the Cultural Arts: July 15

All meetings run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.