Recently Chloe Courtney Bohl decided to test out whether Amtrak is a viable option for Triangle commuters like her. The resulting story clearly struck a chord, with more than 30,000 online views in 72 hours. Readers shared their thoughts:

From reader Catherine Rutsky:

Well, after reading that article, I have been wondering why the area of the Triangle with its increasing population does not seem to have public transportation. I live in Wake County in the Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina area. We need commuter trains and buses which frequent Cary, Raleigh, Durham & RDU. I am sure other cities north, east and west of the city have the same issues. Are the leaders of our cities so adverse to moving forward and recognizing our needs? Traffic is always ridiculous after 2 p.m. Extending 540 has not yet changed the traffic patterns on 55. So many other cities use mass transportation. Are we that laidback that we don’t recognize the needs of the citizens?

From reader Henry M. Solórzano:

I recently got a new job in Raleigh, but live in Durham and have been debating about taking the train to and from. I was born and raised in NYC for 37 years, so any opportunity to take transit vs. driving would be great!

The current train schedule (and the distance from my house to the station) for now makes it prohibitive, but I do look forward to more transit options in the future. 

From reader Drew Hackelman:

What a bohl-ing ball of an opinion piece. I travelled between Raleigh and Durham in a car. It was great, until I was DEAD. 

There were over 270,000 automobile accidents in NC IN JUST 2022. Over 1,700 people lost their lives that single year, just in our state.

Cars are and forever will be the problem and I really am sad to see the INDY promote such a car-centric view of a reliable, cheap transportation alternative. 

Rail service only gets better if we use it and if we show Amtrak that the demand exists. More folks on more trains!

From reader Sharyl Ellison:

I transferred to the area six years ago. All my family are in the Charlotte, NC, area. I now live in Creedmoor. Most times I ride the train to Kannapolis, NC, where my mom picks me up. We are from Davidson, NC. It only take us most times to get home in 25 minutes. I am glad to hear that they plan to expand. There are times I park at the train station and hang out with mom for two days. When I get back I grab a meal  in downtown Durham and then come back to my home in Creedmoor. Love the train, no traffic.

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