Yet another light rail plan:
The last regional plan crashed in 2006 because it was weak on local political and fiscal support, and federal transit officials concluded that it would not serve enough riders to justify the expense. Local political leaders have been more closely involved this time in developing detailed transit plans for Wake, Durham and Orange counties.
Even after they find consensus on the technical issues, they’ll face a tougher political test on the question of whether better transit is worth higher taxes. Planning boards and county commissioners will consider whether to adopt the plans and whether to schedule a referendum on a half-cent sales tax to help pay for trains and buses.
