Some news on this today https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226786574.html
1 Like
I have retracted some of my earlier more vitriolic statements on this subject. That said, the article and report makes Duke look pretty bad, as if they arenāt negotioating in good faith, and perhaps never intended to sign an agreement in the first place, not without unreasonable concessions anyway. They seem to be operating under the assumption that the light rail needs Duke more than Duke needs the light rail. This may even actually be true, but does not cast the university in a very good light in terms of being a good citizen. The light rail project has seemingly bent over backwards and still they are asking for more.
However, this is just one side of the story. I eagerly await a response from the administration at Duke and will reserve judgement until then. I am concerned that GoTriangle going to the media with this may have burned the last bridge with Duke, if there was one left at all. Lets hope not.
6 Likes
It seems that Duke University would be even more attractive (raising their national stature) once this Rail system goes in service by āmodernizingā the triangle transit system, with them right in the middle of it. Employees, students, and visitor are coming one way or another. It is befuddling just how inflexible they are this close to the deadline for federal funding.
In my research of this topic, I see that the DPAC is also b*tching about this impacting their parking for during the construction phase. Seems pretty short sighted on their part as well. These guys are acting like NIMBYs even though they will ultimately be beneficiaries when Rail brings in customers from Chapel Hill (and eventually Raleigh) that wouldnāt drive in to see a performance, but would prefer to ride in (and have perhaps some adult beverages and ride safely back home).
8 Likes
Duke wonāt back Durham-Orange light rail project. āMajor setback,ā says GoTriangle
Duke University will not sign a critical agreement needed for the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange light-rail project, GoTriangle officials announced late Wednesday.
ā¦ man that is a heated article. The community groups are flipping out.
I wonder the Raleigh/Wake rail project could actually get going before if the Orange/Durham line? Is that even possible? Is there enough traffic for a downtown Raleigh to RTP line (assuming no immediate connection to the Durham side?)
3 Likes
Sounds like Dook is acting like we would normally expect from the wine and cheese chapel hill crowd.
Kidding (sort of)
Seriously though. One thing that always seems to step in the way of progress no matter where you are - some local goodāol boy network shmuck that wants to keep things just like it was when they grew up 40 years ago. For the detriment of current and future generations.
5 Likes
The proposed Raleigh /Wake solution is commuter rail so it will run on the existing corridor I believe, so basically DT Raleigh to DT Durham. I assume with added stops in between in addition to the current Cary stop.
2 Likes
This is just my opinion based on these resent articles. But I am getting the impression that Duke is throwing some muscle around? Especially when they speak about the resent change of building a tunnel downtown that is unrelated to āitsā campus? It appears that it may want to put a stop to this project because as the biggest employer in Durham county, they believe that they know whatās best for all of Durhamā¦
1 Like
Well yeah, Dukeās throwing muscle around as an important stakeholder (and not-very-subtle outside influencer for Downtown Durham policies); thatās a really obvious given.
The article @KenAA posted has a whole treasure trove of quotes that almost makes Duke administrators sound like hellbent cartoon villains.
City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton:
āI donāt want to hear any more bellyaching [ā¦] or cajoling from public officials about black folk going hat in hand to Duke begging for our economic future while not boldly and redemptively using the power that made us beggars in the first place [ā¦] Weāve heard the case; now show us how serious you really are.
Welcome to the unsexy part of the actual work of racial equity.ā
āThe Duke administrationās choice may well kill this project, and todayās decision will rank alongside Duke calling in city police to gas and beat students 50 years ago as one of the two worst decisions in the universityās history"
Honestly, this makes me really lose faith in a lot of organizationsā¦ of both Duke for being a good ācorporateā citizen, as well as GoTriangle for its (lack of) skill in project management and proper outreach/contingency planning.
And the NC state legislature, too, for imposing impossible budget rules.
We seriously need a revolution in public infrastructure funding in the U.S. Otherwise, forget light rail anywhere in Wake County; I donāt know if it can ever happen anywhere in the Triangle anymore, now, during any of our lifetimes.
6 Likes
Well, there goes the other shoe. We may never know whether the reasons given in the statement are the real ones, or just justifications for stopping a project they didnāt like for other reasons.
EMI should not be that big of a deal for the direct current planned for this line. DC ideally generates no EMF whatsoever. Who knows.
Drilling deep footings bigger and more numerous than this is something that is done all the time, all over the place, including in hospital districts all over the country. Not sure how Duke could be such a special snowflake that they just canāt handle it.
Eminent domain is an option but then they will have to give Duke just compensation, and it will be left up to the courts to decide how much that will be, and whether Dukeās concerns hold enough water to merit mitigation. That will leave another (big) hole in the projectās budget.
Oh well. Letās just go add some more lanes somewhere. Iām sure it will all work out for the best that way anyway. 
7 Likes
I canāt give away too much inside baseball, but the Wake/Durham Commuter Rail project is dependent on heavy transfer usage from Durham/Orange Light Rail to pencil out. Dukeās playing of footsie with the entire region is going to have domino effects all over the place.
4 Likes
The problem with using eminent domain in this case is that it drives up an already enormous cost even higher. If Duke isnāt on board with this project, this project is dead.
1 Like
This does not make me happy. It makes me sad. 
1 Like
It looks like Mr. Trask likes to have his hands in every aspect of Duke, Durham and RTP planning.
What a downer. Seems like the triangle area canāt get their head of their ass and get anything done with regards to addressing the ever increasing traffic issue other then add more lanes and complete 540.
While I would probably hardly ever use this light rail line. (I rarely go to Durham or Chapel Hill) it is an important first step for the region. If they could actually get it built and get good rider numbers, it would be a catalyst for the rest of the region to get in gear.
9 Likes
Trask was getting his orders from somebody else in this case. Follow the money, especially who and what industries are contributing to Duke.
Reptilians. I knew it.
1 Like
Dukeās president gave Trask rights to calling all the final shots in anything related to DOLRT. ā¦so Iām having a hard time believing he can be influenced when he has all the leverage.
Dukeās Board of Trustees has a lot of people from a wide range of backgrounds (including the president of the civil rights organization Timeās Up and Appleās Tim Cook). But I didnāt think the list of members smelled as fishy to me as UNCās politically stacked BoGās does.
(Does anyone think otherwise? Is Bain Capital secretly anti-rail or something in a way Iām not aware of, for example?)
Side note: it looks like GoTriangle quietly uploaded its receipts onto its website. For those of yāall with an electricity/physics/engineering background or you still remember high school physics, you might find their report on electromagnetic interference interesting:
The way I read it, most of Dukeās facilities arenāt going to be affected (or at least, not enough to warrant any concern, given the info GoTriangle could get their hands on by themselves). But it was presented so poorly and it was so hard to read, I canāt blame Duke for only seeing the graphs in red towards the end and thinking ālook at all these magnetic fields!!! this is bad!!!ā
GoTriangle is also throwing some serious shade at Duke: letter / report
Is it just me, or is anyone else also get some bad vibes for Raleigh from the way GoTriangleās actingā¦?
3 Likes
How about running the line simply along 147 instead of dealing with Duke and Erwin Road. One stop could still be Erwin close enough to access Dukeās hospital facilities
1 Like
Here is another article on the issue.
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2019/03/05/gotriangle-asks-duke-to-reconsider-pulling-support.html?iana=hpmvp_trig_news_headline
1 Like