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Raleigh endorses Harringston Street rail route
After months of debate among transit planners and a citizens study group over the best path for light-rail trains in downtown, Raleigh leaders needed barely two hours Monday to settle on the option they like most.
The City Council endorsed a route that would run along Harrington Street on the west side of downtown, saying it represents the cheapest, least intrusive choice capable of attracting riders and spurring private investment.
Councilmen Bonner Gaylord and Russ Stephenson voted no. They said routes that stop at downtown's major landmarks deserve more consideration.
City planners and real-estate investors say a rail line on Harrington can spur activity on downtown's west side, near the Glenwood South entertainment strip and the city's growing warehouse district.
A citizens study group disagreed, suggesting a route that pushes farther into downtown along Wilmington and Salisbury streets.
"We're only going to get one bite at this apple for a long time," said Will Allen III, co-chairman of Raleigh's passenger rail task force. "We felt it should be closer to the downtown core."
The recommendation from the City Council comes after three rounds of public workshops that involved more than 1,110 participants since last year.
About 100 people attended the meeting Monday.
Each of the light-rail proposals would use existing rail corridors as much as possible. The approach from North Raleigh follows CSX tracks. Coming from Cary and West Raleigh, it's the N.C. Railroad Corridor, already busy with Norfolk Southern freight and Amtrak passenger trains.
Other scenarios for entering downtown would have required an elevated, 6,000-foot-long "flyover" starting at Boylan Avenue and returning to earth at South Street. Council members balked at that option Monday, saying it would cost too much and create a visual barrier.
The route selected Monday night has a pricetag of $1.63 billion, $155 million less than alternate routes.
The downtown trains are part of an ambitious bus and rail plan being developed for Wake, Durham and Orange counties. Wake leaders could approve their part next year, and call a referendum on a half-cent local sales tax to help pay for it.
Mayor Charles Meeker, a transit supporter who will leave office this year after a decadelong tenure, said he's eager to achieve tangible progress.
"Let's go ahead and get this system built," he said at the end of the discussion Monday.
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A story on Page 2B Tuesday gave an incorrect amount for the projected cost of Triangle Transit's proposed 18-mile light rail system. The cost, including the route endorsed Monday by the City Council, is $1.43 billion.
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Originally publishes in the News & Observer on August 2, 2011 by matt.garfield@newsobserver.com or 919-836-4952