Mayor renews call for commuter rail

Image by Flickr user KeckoImage by 20080910railplans.jpg Mayor Riley hopes commuter rail could soon be on its way to Charleston.

Charleston's mayor has renewed his call for a commuter rail from downtown Charleston to North Charleston and on to Summerville.

Read more stories on this subject in our commuter rail topic page. Mayor Joe Riley's words came during a meeting of the city's Green Committee, a group established in part to help the city meet its goal to have greenhouse emissions 7% less than they were in 1990 by 2012.

A large portion of greenhouse emissions come from vehicles, and the Charleston area is already beginning to struggle with its air quality.

Back in July, The Post and Courier noted that Charlotte's commuter rail success is offering inspiration for charleston rail advocates, as has the increased popularity of local bus routes. And the several large developments planned for the upper peninsula and neck area also add encouragement for higher-density transit options for Charleston.

If they do eventually move forward with rail, lets hope they more luck than with the monorail plan.

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