By: Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
On Friday morning, GoTriangle marked a major milestone in the Triangle region’s transit future with a celebratory ribbon cutting for the new Raleigh Union Station Bus Facility, known as RUS Bus. The ceremony took place at the intersection of West Martin Street and South West Street in downtown Raleigh, right in the heart of the city’s historic Warehouse District.
The state-of-the-art RUS Bus facility is a $40.7 million project that provides six off-street bus bays, two layover bays, passenger waiting areas, restrooms, and amenities such as benches, lockers, bike and scooter racks, wayfinding maps, assistance stations, and local information. The new transit center will officially open for service on Sunday, August 3, serving GoTriangle commuter routes to Durham, Chapel Hill, and Research Triangle Park (RTP).
GoRaleigh city buses will continue to use the Moore Square Transit Station.
“This event will be a day to celebrate not just the ribbon cutting of our new transportation center, but also to honor the greater Triangle community and what we can achieve through effective partnerships,” said Brian Smith, GoTriangle President and CEO. “Raleigh Union Bus Station Facility will mean improved, more efficient public transportation in our region, which is a benefit for us all.”
The Friday morning event featured speeches from public officials, live music, facility tours, food trucks, and giveaways.
Dignitaries in attendance included U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Ross; Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell; former Raleigh Mayor and current GoTriangle Chair Mary-Ann Baldwin; Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Stormie D. Forte; Raleigh City Councilor Corey Branch; U.S. Senator Thom Tillis' representative, Trey Lewis; and U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee. Also in attendance were Cary Mayor Pro Tem Jennifer Bryson Robinson and Morrisville Mayor TJ Cawley, along with other municipal leaders from across the region.
“With this location next to Raleigh Union Station, this facility will serve tourists, commuters, and workers who use Amtrak and passenger rail to come to the area,” said Baldwin.
Mayor Cowell emphasized the project’s broader significance for regional mobility and economic development: “This is all about connecting the 13-county region, connecting people, getting them where they need to go. Someone can get on a bus from Cary and go directly here, get off, and go where they need to go in downtown Raleigh, or they could get on a train behind us at Union Station and go to Charlotte or D.C. and beyond.”
The RUS Bus facility is directly adjacent to Raleigh Union Station, allowing seamless transfers between intercity Amtrak train service and local and regional bus lines.
The transit hub has been in the works since 2018, when GoTriangle secured a $20 million federal BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Construction began in 2023. The facility has been designed to accommodate future expansions, including bus rapid transit (BRT) and potential regional rail connections.
City Councilor Corey Branch grounded the impact in real-life scenarios: “GoTriangle has a footprint and a home in Raleigh, North Carolina. When we talk about regionalism and connectivity, I don’t want us to forget about the ‘why’. Think about that mother who lives in Durham or Chapel Hill, but their job is in Raleigh. They have to get up and find a way to get to Raleigh. That’s where GoTriangle steps in.”
RUS Bus is also the first phase of a larger vision for a multimodal transportation and development hub. Adjacent to the facility, Hoffman & Associates is planning a 23-story mixed-use tower called Union West. Originally planned to include two buildings—one with affordable housing—financial hurdles led the developer to scale back. Instead of building below-market-rate units, Hoffman received approval to contribute $1.5 million to Raleigh’s affordable housing fund.
“We just voted to move forward with the residential and retail plan for this foundation here,” Cowell said. “And then you’ve also got loading properties, which are planning a retail and hotel just over near the old train station there. So you can see how powerful this transportation hub and this project are.”
Looking ahead, Smith affirmed that GoTriangle’s focus will be on delivering transit improvements in the near term while still planning for transformative projects in the future.
GoTriangle has also broken ground on a future transit hub along the North Carolina Railroad corridor in RTP, funded in part by a $25 million federal grant. That facility is expected to open by 2028.
For now, RUS Bus stands as a major win for the region—a physical manifestation of regional cooperation, vision, and mobility.
