For more about Union Station and transit in Raleigh, see the City of Raleigh's initial 2010 study on Union Station HERE, and Triangle Transit's site dedicated to the future of transit in the Research Triangle area HERE.
As part of a project for the Graphic Communication for Urban Planners course taught by Kelly O'Brien in the City and Regional Planning Masters program at Rutgers University, I created my own vision for the proposed Union Station multimodal center in Raleigh, North Carolina. I graduated from NC State and lived in Raleigh for seven years, and the city was one of my inspirations in deciding to study planning and transportation, so I have a great interest in the Union Station project. There are certainly flaws in my design as well as unanswered questions, but the idea behind the project was to give a view of how the site can be used, not necessarily to produce an accurate prediction of what will be built. Finally, since Union Station is very much in the preliminary planning stages, it does not hurt to think big then scale down as necessary.
The final product that was required for the Rutgers course can be viewed in .pdf form HERE.
My site plan for Union Station matches the location described in the city's report. There is a great deal of discussion ongoing with Triangle Transit as to how and where to run light rail into downtown. Though I do not know the engineering or land acquisition constraints, I opted to run parallel light rail tracks down West Morgan Street, making the road one lane and one way traffic. Hargett Street would now end at the main entrance plaza for the transit center, and the remaining section of the street between Boylan Avenue and West Street would be converted into a bicycle and pedestrian path with access to the rail platforms and a new park adjacent to the Boylan Wye. Ideally there would be a bicycle parking station at that end of the platforms.
Edit: Unaddressed in this project is what happens to the light rail line after it heads east from Union Station. One option would be to have the line head north before arriving at Dawson St., but ideally the line would continue to the center of downtown before turning north. While in these renderings the light rail line descends to street level immediately after exiting Union Station and crossing N. West St., one possibility would be to continue the line elevated until after crossing the busy McDowell and Dawson arterial streets.
This is an alternative site plan with two modifications to the original. Due to the configuration of the Boylan Wye and the different needs of the passenger rail lines that will run through it, it will almost certainly be impossible to have all trains run through a single loading area as depicted on this page. While Southeast High Speed Rail and potentially Amtrak and commuter trains will use platforms located in an area similar to what I show, some Amtrak and commuter trains will have to use a platform in a location near the current Amtrak station. In this site plan I have created a new platform on the opposite side of the tracks from the current Amtrak platform, which connects to Union Station with a pedestrian walkway. This means that the main Union Station rail platform will not need to be as large as shown here. It would likely be cut down to two tracks (with a less elaborate platform shed), which would allow room for freight rail to bypass the passenger platforms as shown in this plan.
Bird's eye view of Union Station from the east. A large plaza is the focal point of the outside of the complex. Although there is a grand wide staircase leading into the main entrance on the second floor, there are numerous ground floor entrances as well, so it would not be necessary to use the stairs. Greyhound, Triangle Transit, and Capital Area Transit buses connect outside the first floor, while the Union Station light rail platforms are on the second floor, as well as entrances to rail tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4. Track 1 can also be accessed from the first floor.
Tracks used for freight and Amtrak currently pass under bridges at West Morgan Street and Hillsborough Street north of the Boylan Wye. This is where I propose placing platforms for future Southeast High Speed Rail, Amtrak, and Triangle Transit commuter rail. There will also need to be accomodation for freight traffic, which I do not show here. A side track around the station would be necessary in the event that freight traffic cannot pass through the platforms. The West Morgan Street bridge would be rebuilt under this plan.
Transit-oriented development will be critical to the success of Union Station and future transit enhancements in Raleigh, and my design includes a 17 story mixed use building integrated with the multimodal center. In addition to ground floor retail, the first two stories of this building would include the light rail station, rail lobbies, and indoor retail. Office space and condos or apartments could populate the remaining floors, creating a dense population base right on top of the transit center.
The south end of my Union Station would include a dedicated terminal for Greyhound, as well as a stop for local commuter buses. Accessing the multimodal center quickly and efficiently will be necessary for a high volume of buses, so one possibility that is not shown here would be to restrict all or part of the street in front of the transit center to buses (potentially with bike lanes as well).
The main entrance to the station will need to stand out and have identifying features that make it a unique and memorable complex for the city. Bicycle parking could be provided here in addition to a bike station on the west side. While I have one bike lane in these images, a second lane on the other side of the street would be worth considering, and the question of side street parking would need to be addressed as well.
It will be important for transfers between various modes of transit to be quick and easy at the station, and the pedestrian experience is important as well since Union Station's location downtown makes it likely that most users will have some sort of pedestrian component to their trip.
At Union Station, the roadway and light rail track on West Morgan Street briefly separate so that trains can stop at the second floor of Union Station. After the station, the track would cross West Martin Street via a bridge then descend back to street level. Ground floor retail is important in making the center a destination even for those who are not using the transit modes, especially in the high rise building.
While it seems reasonable to suggest that the rail platforms will be outdoors with awnings, I wanted something grander for what will be one of the most important transit hubs in the southeast. The rail station would be the first impression of the city for commuters coming in on Triangle Transit and travelers via Amtrak and high speed rail and should be welcoming and memorable.
All tracks are accessible via central staircases connecting to the second floor and the light rail station, retail, and rail lobbies. The official report on Union Station suggests that Amtrak, commuter rail, and high speed rail could be split onto different platforms, with the current Amtrak location being retained and connected to the multimodal center. If reasonably possible given the constraints of the location, I would like to see all lines integrated into one location. (See above for more on this)
As I have been completing this model, Triangle Transit has released its alternatives for light rail's path into downtown, which raise a variety of issues, from long ugly flyover bridges to a near complete avoidance of the downtown core. If light rail is to be built in Raleigh, it must be done right, and that means going into the heart of the city primarily at street level. Routing the line down West Morgan Street would be a logical location that would work well with Union Station and would not disrupt a major road artery. I am confident that engineers can find a way to make this work.
The transit discussion currently ramping up in the Triangle will likely lead to some of the most important decisions in the region's history. Leaders have an opportunity to address the continued rapid population growth in addition to rising fuel costs with a transportation network that offers more choices to citizens. Hopefully these renderings can add to that dialogue and spark some ideas about what this critical project for Raleigh can become.