Vital railroad improvements to begin this summer
Our region is blessed to be served by an excellent statewide freight and intercity passenger rail corridor, owned by the North Carolina Railroad Company.
Stretching more than 300 miles, from Charlotte to the North Carolina State Port at Morehead City, North Carolina has enjoyed the blessings of this vital railroad transportation corridor since the mid 1800s.
The corridor serves as an economic development lifeline for multiple metropolitan areas, including the Triangle, by providing convenient freight service via Norfolk Southern, as well as intercity state-supported passenger rail operated by Amtrak. CSX Transportation also uses part of the corridor in the Triangle.
This summer, the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) and other partners, including NCDOT, Norfolk Southern (NS), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), will commence work on a vital rail corridor upgrade between Raleigh and Greensboro. The $176m project, which includes a 60% federal funding share along with significant contributions by NCDOT, NCRR, and NS, will replace nearly 70 miles of rail, create or expand more than 3 miles of sidings, straighten multiple curves for higher speeds, and construct a new grade separation at Research Triangle Park.
The impact: a safer, faster, higher capacity railroad for both freight and passengers. The project will support economic development and commerce while improving fluidity for both passenger and freight train operations. These improvements expect to result in 20 minutes per day in freight time savings as well as sufficient capacity for a sixth round trip intercity passenger rail service.
RTA applauds each of our state, federal, and private partners for their collaboration to improve freight and passenger efficiency along the NC Railroad Company corridor in our region.
