That's the attraction for North Carolina's Triangle Transit Authority, which is hoping to be the first in the country to have a whole system of DMUs that are approved for travel on freight tracks or in the freight corridors. TTA's director, John Claflin, likes the math. Electrifying 28 miles for light rail would be more expensive than DMUs. And, because the area isn't densely populated, potential ridership wouldn't be high enough to support the more expensive light rail. TTA's transit board approved the plan to use DMUs at the end of October, and the authority now needs to secure some federal funding for the $630 million project to implement it.
Whether or not they have access to freight lines, DMUs are starting to attract attention in other places as well. The federal government has co-sponsored a trial run in South Florida, which will be expanded into Miami and West Palm Beach early next year. New Jersey Transit is considering DMUs as part of its new transit plan to offer suburban riders a direct route into downtown New York without transfers. And other cities, such as Houston and Cincinnati, have considered it among a range of options for rapid transit plans.
