Commuter Transportation Study/Piedmont Triad.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 1062

Short Title: Commuter Transportation Study/Piedmont Triad. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Lowe and Craven (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 4, 2026
*S1062-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO STUDY HOW TO IMPROVE TRANSPORT ATION IN THE PIEDMON T 2
TRIAD. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (Department) shall 5
study the cost and potential economic benefits of a commuter rail service linking dense 6
population centers in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad, and shall include the cities of 7
Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro and encompass the counties of Forsyth and 8
Guilford. The study shall also evaluate additional transportation options beyond rail and shall 9
incorporate population and development growth projections through the year 2050. The s tudy 10
shall, at a minimum, include all of the following: 11
(1) Governance & Implementation Structure. 12
a. Evaluate the feasibility of establishing a regional transit authority to 13
coordinate transportation across the Triad. 14
b. Consider an authority that would i ntegrate both rail and bus 15
systems into a single, connected network. 16
c. Include a review of the potential governance structure and 17
representation across participating counties. 18
(2) Mode Flexibility. 19
a. Evaluate additional transportation options beyond comm uter rail, 20
including. 21
1. Bus rapid transit (BRT). 22
2. Regional bus systems. 23
3. Roadway expansion and congestion mitigation projects. 24
b. Direct the Department to determine the most effective mix of 25
modes based on cost, ridership, and feasibility. 26
(3) Funding and Financing. 27
a. Include analysis of funding options across all modes, including local, 28
State, and federal sources. 29
b. Evaluate potential regional funding mechanisms and cost -sharing 30
approaches. 31
(4) Economic and Land Use Considerations 32
a. Include study of land and right -of-way needs for roadway expansion 33
and bus infrastructure. 34
b. Provide cost estimates for acquiring necessary property and access 35
rights across all modes. 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 1062-First Edition
SECTION 2. No later than December 29, 2026, the Department shall report to the 1
House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Senate Appropriations 2
Committee on the Department of Transportation, Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight 3
Committee (JLTOC), and the Fiscal Research Division on the results of the study and any 4
recommendations for implementation. 5
SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Department of 6
Transportation the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in nonrecurring funds 7
for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to be used by the Department for this study. 8
SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026, and expires on December 29, 9
2026. 10