Triangle Transit Authority
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority which is known by the name Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) provides regional bus service to The Triangle region of North Carolina in the counties of Wake, Durham and Orange.
Contents |
[edit] History
The 1989 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly enabled the creation of the Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority (Triangle Transit Authority) as a regional public transportation authority serving Durham, Orange and Wake counties. The new unit of local government was chartered by the North Carolina Secretary of State on December 1, 1989.
In 1991, the General Assembly, subject to County approvals, authorized the TTA to levy a vehicle registration tax of up to $5 per registration. This tag tax finances the regional bus operations, ridesharing program and planning program.
In 1997, the General Assembly, subject to County approvals, authorized the TTA to levy a rental vehicle tax of up to 5% of gross receipts. This tax, effective January 1, 1998, will finance the Regional Rail Transit System, scheduled to begin operation in 2008.
The TTA was created to plan, finance, organize, and operate a public transportation system for the Research Triangle area. It has three main program areas:
- Regional Bus Service
- Rideshare Service
- Regional Transit Planning
TTA is governed by a 13 member Board of Trustees. Ten members are appointed by the region's principal municipalities and counties and three members are appointed by the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation.
[edit] Bus service
Triangle Transit Authority runs regular fixed-route bus service between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, interfacing with their municipal bus systems. TTA's main transfer center is located in the Research Triangle Park, where TTA runs several shuttle routes throughout the day. During morning and evening rush hour, TTA runs routes serving Apex, Cary, and Garner. TTA restored service to Hillsborough at the beginning of 2006, in cooperation with Orange Public Transportation, after discontinuing previous Hillsborough service in 2002.
[edit] Regional rail
TTA plans to begin construction on a $800 million, 25-mile regional rail line in early 2006. The first phase of the rail line will operate with diesel multiple unit vehicles, and will extend from downtown Durham through the Research Triangle Park, Cary, through downtown Raleigh and end in north Raleigh. Twelve stops are scheduled to open in late 2009, while the remaining four will begin operation in 2011 or later, due to budgetary constraints.
Planned stops on the Phase I of the rail system are:
- Duke Medical Center - Duke University, West Campus (to open 2011 or later)
- Ninth Street - Duke University, East Campus
- Downtown Durham
- Alston Avenue - North Carolina Central University
- Research Triangle Park, North - IBM campus
- Research Triangle Park, South - Triangle Metro Center, connection to Raleigh-Durham International Airport
- Northwest Cary - Morrisville
- Downtown Cary
- West Raleigh
- State Fairgrounds - Carter-Finley Stadium, RBC Center
- North Carolina State University, Main Campus - eventual rail connection to NCSU's Centennial Campus
- Downtown Raleigh
- State Government Center
- Highwoods (to open 2011 or later)
- New Hope Church Road (to open 2011 or later)
- Spring Forest (to open 2011 or later)
Phase II is expected to include fixed-guideway extensions to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and to Chapel Hill.
Long term extensions of the rail system may include Hillsborough, northern Durham County, southern Wake County (including Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Garner), Wake Forest, and eastern Wake County (including Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon).
[edit] Funding
The regional rail line was allocated $20 million from the federal government in the 2005 budget proposed by President Bush.
The Triangle Transit Authority is withdrawing its bid for federal approval to build a 28-mile, $810 million rail transit line for Raleigh, Durham and Research Triangle Park. TTA officials said today they would not be able to meet a Sept. 30, 2006 deadline to satisfy the Federal Transit Administration's criticism that construction costs were too high and the likely number of train riders too low to justify the request for federal funds to cover 60 percent of the project cost.
Triangle Transit Authority said they would seek direction from local civic, business and government leaders about how to address the region's transportation needs, and how to pay for the needed improvements. Some version of the proposed rail line could still be built in the future, TTA officials said
TTA is continuing to negotiate an agreement with Cherokee Investments of Raleigh for joint development around all 12 planned rail stops, a plan aimed at increasing ridership and generating income that would defray project expenses and reduce taxpayer costs.
Such a deal might qualify TTA for consideration under a new program being developed in Washington to allow private investment in rail transit projects that do not qualify for full federal funding. The FTA is still months away from establishing the terms of what it calls a pilot program for public-private partnership.
[edit] Metropolitan Raleigh-Durham Transit Systems
[edit] Capital Area Transit (Raleigh)
- 1881-1894 - Raleigh Street Railway
- 1894-1908 - Raleigh Electric Co.
- 1908-1921 - Carolina Power & Light Co.
- 1921-1925 - Carolina Power & Light Co. (Electric Bond & Shares Co.)
- 1925-1946 - Carolina Power & Light Co. (National Power & Light Co.)
- 1930s - streetcars discontinued
- 1946-1950 - Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L).
- 1950-1958 - White Transportation Co.
- After 1958 - Raleigh City Coach Lines (City Coach Lines, Inc.)
[edit] Chapel Hill Transit
Chapel Hill Transit operates public transportation services within the cities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in area of the southeast corner of Orange County, North Carolina. Chapel Hill and Carrboro are contiguous municipalities. Chapel Hill Transit began operations in August 1974. The total ridership, including fixed route, EZ Rider and Shared Ride Feeder service, for fiscal year ending June 30, 2005 was $5,871,988.
[edit] Orange Public Transportation
The Orange Public Transportation program, a division of the Orange County Department on Aging, offers van and bus service outside the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city limits including planning and coordinating for county residents with transportation needs. It serves the general public and the clients of community service agencies, primarily in rural areas of the County.
[edit] Durham Area Transit Authority
The City of Durham assumed the operation of the local Duke Power bus system in 1991, naming it Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA).
- 1891-1902 - Durham Street Railway Co.
- 1902-1913 - Durham Traction Co.
- 1913-1921 - Durham Traction Co. (Cities Service Co.)
- 1921-1943 - Durham Public Service Co. (Cities Service Co.)
- 1930 - streetcars discontinued
- After 1943 - Duke Power Company
