NCDOT Invests $10.2MM in Short Line Railroads
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on Dec. 19 announced that it is investing $10.2 million as part of 50-50 matching grant funding for rail infrastructure projects along 10 short line railroads and at the North Carolina Ports.
The state’s share of the $20.5 million for all the rail projects, which is provided through the NCDOT’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement (FRRCSI) program, will match equal investments from several railroad companies.
According to NCDOT, the projects will improve 14 railroad bridges and 27 miles of railroad track in North Carolina, supporting the increase of freight rail traffic on the statewide railroad network, and reducing highway traffic congestion by diverting freight to rail.
Through the FRRCSI program, NCDOT’s Rail Division partners with railroad companies to support statewide freight rail infrastructure health, safety and performance. This public-private partnership, the agency says, “helps efficiently and cost-effectively meet the growing demand for rail service.”
Each of the rail improvement projects will be paid for with 50-50 matching funds from the state and private railroad companies. Those projects and the state grant funds are:
- Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway: $664,411 for bridge and culvert upgrades along the Piedmont Division (Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, and Stanly counties).
- Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad: $594,141 for track upgrades on the mainline rail corridor (Hoke County).
- Atlantic and Western Railway: $569,708 for track upgrades to the Jonesboro Branch (Lee County).
- Carolina Coastal Railway: $97,696 for track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor in Clinton, NC (Sampson County).
- Charlotte Western Railroad: $222,042 for track upgrades to the mainline rail corridor (Gaston County).
- Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad: $675,510 for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor (Currituck and Pasquotank Counties).
- Great Smoky Mountains Railroad: $1,319,745 for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the mainline rail corridor (Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties).
- North Carolina State Ports Authority – Morehead City Port: $1,011,652 for track and rail crossing upgrades throughout the port (Carteret County).
- North Carolina State Ports Authority – Wilmington Port: $2,780,890 for construction of new tracks at the port (New Hanover).
- North Carolina and Virginia Railroad: $800,916 for track upgrades and improvement of a rail crossing along the mainline rail corridor (Northampton County).
- Raleigh and Fayetteville Railroad: $942,725 for track improvements to the Fuquay Branch (Cumberland and Harnett Counties).
- Wilmington Terminal Railroad: $590,846 for track upgrades to the Dock Lead at the port (New Hanover County).
“We are pleased to work with our short line railroad partners to improve the state’s critical freight rail network,” said NCDOT Rail Director Jason Orthner. “These projects are important investments to ensure our infrastructure can support growing transportation demands and economic development opportunities.”
