News

A train to Charlotte in under 3 hours? Multiple daily trains between our largest communities? The future is now.

Earlier this week, NCDOT and Amtrak began a new train frequency in each direction between Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and points west and south including Charlotte. This will create new options for travelers across North Carolina’s Piedmont metropolitan crescent, with some trains between Raleigh and Charlotte now taking less than 3 hours in total rail travel time.

The new service means that now have six trains per direction every day between Raleigh and Cary along with five trains trains per direction per day between Durham and Raleigh. We have created an updated train schedule for the stops within the Triangle for the convenience of our members and partners.  Click on this link:  www.letsgetmoving.org/TrainSchedule and also this week’s blog to learn more.

Make Your Voice Heard: Please Take the Regional Skills Analysis Survey 

The quality of our current and future workforce is increasingly seen as the most important factor in our region’s economic growth and vitality. To address this and improve the employment pipeline, we are partnering with regional workforce and economic development groups to better understand skills gaps and employer needs. We are seeking business owners and HR professionals to participate in the 2023 iteration of the Regional Skills Analysis. The study was previously conducted in both 2020 and 2017. The survey is being conducted by RTI International, an independent non-profit research institute on behalf of Wake County Economic Development and other partners.

The objectives of the survey include the following: Understand both short and long-term hiring needs; Inform training and education providers of the current workforce needs; Provide current workforce information for policy makers in workforce, education, and economic development; Develop an effective cradle-to-career talent pipeline strategy; and Create an efficient structure for ongoing industry feedback.

The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. As a thank you for your participation, we are doing weekly prize drawings for gift cards to local favorites. You will also be entered to win a grand prize of $1,000 to the Umstead Hotel and Spa.

survey link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7304670/WCED

You can help launch BRT at our annual breakfast — but you need to register today

The RTA Transportation Breakfast 2023 is one week away. We have a growing lineup of more than 20 elected officials from five counties, transportation partners, and business leaders who will serve as panelists and presenters.

The good news is that you have one or more tickets included with your RTA membership, and that you will get to join more than 200 fellow business leaders at the event. However, you must register by this Monday, July 17, to attend.  Visit the website for the current speaker line-up and additional event information. Please let Jacob Rigg know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend, everyone.
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director

Click here for prior RTA Member Briefings and RTA Blogs.