| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO STUDY THE COST AND FEASIBILITY OF A COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE 2 |
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| 14 | 15 | | LINKING DENSE POPULATION CENTERS IN THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT 3 |
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| 15 | 16 | | TRIAD. 4 |
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| 16 | 17 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5 |
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| 17 | 18 | | SECTION 1. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (Department) shall 6 |
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| 18 | 19 | | study the cost and potential economic benefits of a commuter rail service linking dense 7 |
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| 19 | 20 | | population centers in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad. This study shall incorporate population 8 |
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| 20 | 21 | | and development growth projections through the year 2050. The study shall, at a minimum, 9 |
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| 21 | 22 | | include all of the following: 10 |
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| 22 | 23 | | (1) A phased construction plan in which projected highest-ridership routes are 11 |
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| 23 | 24 | | completed first. 12 |
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| 24 | 25 | | (2) Analysis of possible early-phase routes between the cities of Greensboro, 13 |
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| 25 | 26 | | Winston-Salem, and High Point. 14 |
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| 26 | 27 | | (3) Daily ridership estimates. 15 |
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| 27 | 28 | | (4) Projected annual operation costs. 16 |
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| 28 | 29 | | (5) Costs of acquiring land and rights to use any existing rail capacity. 17 |
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| 29 | 30 | | (6) Recommendation for the creation of an entity to manage and maintain the rail 18 |
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| 30 | 31 | | service. 19 |
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| 31 | 32 | | SECTION 2. No later than December 29, 2025, the Department shall report to the 20 |
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| 32 | 33 | | Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Transportation and the Fiscal Research Division on 21 |
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| 33 | 34 | | the results of the study and any recommendations for planning and construction of a commuter 22 |
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| 34 | 35 | | rail service in the Piedmont Triad. 23 |
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| 35 | 36 | | SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Department 24 |
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| 36 | 37 | | of Transportation for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars 25 |
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| 37 | 38 | | ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds may be used by the Department for this study. 26 |
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| 38 | 39 | | SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, and expires on December 29, 27 |
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| 39 | 40 | | 2025. 28 |
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