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Town presents train station plans and potential transit hub; staff weigh RAISE grant and arts‑facility ideas
Summary
Hillsborough staff described a funded design for a future train station and station building, explained remaining railroad review and indemnification steps, and discussed the larger 20‑acre site as a transit‑oriented development opportunity that could include civic uses such as a performing‑arts facility; county and regional partners are exploring
Town staff presented an update on the prepared train‑station site plan and a conceptual civic/residential/commercial plan for the roughly 20‑acre property adjacent to the tracks, and county transportation staff described efforts to assemble partners for a federal RAISE (or similar) grant to create a multimodal hub.
Stephanie Trueblood, the town’s train station project manager, summarized the project history: Hillsborough purchased the site in 2008 and the project received state and regional funding in the 2016–2025 transportation program. A concept plan and engineering work by a consultant were completed and the town obtained a site‑plan approval. Trueblood said the town must still execute a preliminary‑engineering agreement with the railroads (Norfolk Southern / North Carolina Railroad) that typically includes insurance and indemnification terms before railroad review can begin; she noted other North Carolina municipalities are negotiating similar terms and Hillsborough’s timeline will follow their lead.
The station building has been designed as a roughly 7,730‑square‑foot structure with a station waiting and ticketing area, public restrooms and a boardroom and town offices the town would use (the boardroom is sized to seat about 170). The design incorporates green roofs and rooftop solar and the town has budgeted a market study to assess development options for the remainder of the property. The site plan includes roughly 115 surface parking spaces, some EV charging, and a platform to Amtrak standards; the town and Amtrak coordinated on standards during design.
Orange County transportation staff said they are working with regional partners (GoTriangle, local MPOs and other transit providers) to assemble a coalition of stakeholders that could pursue a RAISE or similar federal grant to build a larger multimodal hub at the station site. Staff said a RAISE NOFO (or comparable federal program) could be an opportunity but cautioned that federal grant availability and program names change; they described the grant effort as the project’s potential funding path rather than a guaranteed source.
County arts‑sector staff described a parallel feasibility interest in a civic arts/performance facility on part of the site. The arts staff said the local arts ecosystem lacks mid‑sized performing‑arts space and noted the potential to co‑locate visual‑arts studio space, museum/collection storage and classrooms with a modest performing arts venue that would serve local groups rather than large national touring acts.
Town and county officials emphasized there are no final decisions; staff requested feedback from both boards as the town moves into a market study and as county transportation staff assemble partners for grant applications. Officials also noted that RTP‑level passenger‑rail service would increase parking needs if the station becomes a commuter hub to RTP, and that structured parking is expensive and likely to require partnership or third‑party development.
