"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
Going to Raleigh any time soon?
You could take a car and arrive in just over three hours.
Or... you could save gas and the ozone and take the train
Takes about the same amount of time as driving.
For now.
But by 2017, 461-million could be spent to improve the train trip from Charlotte to Raleigh by thirteen minutes.
Let me say that again.
461-million could be spent to improve the train trip by thirteen minutes.
By thirteen minutes?
Really?
Are we actually considering spending 461-million on saving 13-minutes?
As if that's not enough to raise eyebrows... IF built, this faster commuter train must share the track with Norfolk Southern cargo trains.
Though he wouldn't go into details, the Norfolk Southern passenger policy director said he's nervous about sharing a track with cargo.
The N-C-D-O-T is in line to receive federal stimulus money for this transportation upgrade.
It wants the money.
Other groups say taking the quote-unquote "free" money is a bad idea.
Legislation is currently in the works to try and prevent the state from accepting these federal funds.
We understand this is still a work in progress for our government... but we can already say, we're with those groups against this idea.
We understand long-term planning must start somewhere.
But when 13 minutes is the best we can do... we're just not on-board.
Tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
