GoTriangle seeks cost‑neutral reallocations to improve Route 800 reliability and expand Durham‑Raleigh service

Transportation Director Ellen Beckman introduced a GoTriangle briefing on FY27 regional bus priorities and an updated operator request for improved reliability and regional connectivity.

“Katherine Egleston, deputy CEO of GoTriangle,” introduced regional context and said Route 800 — a heavily used link between RTP, South Durham and Chapel Hill — carried more than 18,000 trips in March and is currently only about 77% on time. GoTriangle proposed two priority changes: modest additional travel time and layover to improve on‑time performance on Route 800 and upgrading the Durham‑Raleigh express (DRX) to run every 30 minutes throughout the day to create a consistent regional connection.

Because Durham and Orange staff asked providers to work within existing allocations, GoTriangle presented a cost‑neutral reallocation option: realize recurring operational efficiencies on certain regional routes (for example, 700/705) and defer limited future expansion assumptions for routes such as 700 and 400 in FY30–31 to free capacity for near‑term reliability improvements. GoTriangle emphasized these changes would adjust timing, not remove long‑term projects from the plan.

The Durham staff working group, and partner bodies in Orange and Wake, were scheduled to review the proposal the next day; Wake staff had recommended adding approximately $3.8 million for regional service in their county plan but committed to hold drawdowns until Durham takes action so counties would not be disadvantaged by different approval timings.

Commissioners thanked GoTriangle and transportation staff for a creative proposal and asked staff to work with Orange County counterparts before final recommendations return to the staff working group and boards in June.