Two years after the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project was killed, GoTriangle, which provides regional transportation to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties, still wants a rail line serving commuters. Officials are now talking about a commuter line that would span 37 miles and include stations at North Carolina State University and the airport.

The commuter line already has access to a certain amount of funding. Back in 2011 voters approved a sales tax hike that included support for a transportation project like one involving rail. Wake County also passed a sale tax increase in support of transit.

Officials believe commuter rail could carry up to 10,000 riders per day.

GoTriangle is still in the pre-development stage of a commuter rail project, which includes studying an existing 43-mile rail corridor, gathering information on ridership, project costs, and engineering challenges, and conducting public outreach and education.

One of the reasons the light-rail project failed was because Duke University did not agree with the proposed route through the University Medical Center. Charles Lattuca, president and CEO of GoTriangle, does not believe a commuter rail project would face the same degree of difficulty that the light-rail project faced.