AGENDA #4L
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to: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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from: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David Bonk, Long Range Planning and Transportation Coordinator |
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subject: |
Response to a Petition for a Resolution Supporting an Amtrak Stop in Hillsborough, NC |
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date: |
November 19, 2007 |
This memorandum responds to a petition submitted by James Carnahan of The Village Project on September 24, 2007 (Attachment 1). The attached resolution would provide comments to Governor Easley, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation), supporting the establishment of a temporary passenger rail stop in Hillsborough. The resolution also supports consideration of funding for a site for a more permanent station to serve intercity passenger rail trains as well as any future Triangle commuter or regional rail services.
In observance of Car Free Day, September 22, 2007, The Village Project, Inc. organized a campaign to help support the development of an intercity passenger rail stop in Hillsborough. As part of this effort, The Village Project requested that local governments in Orange County adopt a resolution in support of the rail stop in Hillsborough. At this time, the Town of Carrboro has adopted a resolution supporting the stop, and we understand that the Town of Hillsborough and Orange County are considering action that would further explore the feasibility of this initiative.
The effort by The Village Project to gather local support for the proposed passenger rail stop complements a petition circulated by an ad hoc citizens group in Hillsborough, which garnered over 300 signatures of support this past summer. The group’s petition requested that Amtrak, the Special Transit Advisory Committee (STAC), NCDOT, North Carolina Railroad (NCRR), Orange County Government, Hillsborough Town Government, Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) and “any other appropriate agencies/entities” coordinate their efforts in order to reestablish an intercity passenger rail stop in Hillsborough—a transportation option once offered by the Southern Railway Company as part of its daily service between Greensboro and Goldsboro.
A new passenger rail stop in Hillsborough might provide some advantages for residents of Orange County and specifically those living in Chapel Hill. The closest Amtrak passenger stops to Chapel Hill are currently located approximately 10 to 20 miles away, in either downtown Durham or Cary. A new stop in Hillsborough would offer closer access to Amtrak intercity passenger rail service to New York and Washington, DC along the Carolinian route, as well as to regional cities like Greensboro and Charlotte along the Piedmont route. Currently these routes each provide one train per day in either direction, or two pairs of passenger trains that could potentially stop in Hillsborough on a daily basis. Although there are other Amtrak routes which serve several destinations throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic States, these trains do not pass through Hillsborough and instead must be accessed through connecting lines in other cities like Greensboro, Raleigh and Rocky Mount. Presently Orange County and Davidson County are the only two counties along the Carolinian or Piedmont routes which do not have an Amtrak stop.
The Piedmont route, which provides daily service in either direction between Charlotte and Raleigh, has experienced increased ridership within the last two years. Although this growth trend is encouraging for the creation of a new stop in Hillsborough, it is important to note that there are tradeoffs between the development of a new stop and maintaining or increasing ridership. While a new train stop has the potential to increase overall ridership for a given service by adding new passengers, such a development can also provide added delays which make the service less desirable for the majority of users. Studies which investigate these tradeoffs may consider the benefits associated with adding one stop and eliminating another along the same route. Service adjustments like these attempt to provide closer rail access to larger populations which are more likely to use the service, while at the same time minimizing the delays associated with the overall number of stops along a given route.
The NCRR has also initiated a feasibility study to evaluate the possible provision of a regional commuter service between Greensboro and Goldsboro. The feasibility study is expected to be completed by early 2008.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached Resolution that would support the establishment of an Amtrak passenger rail stop in Hillsborough, NC.
We will forward the Resolution to Governor Easley, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) for their consideration.