Share this Post
Big things are coming down the tracks for Raleigh railways.
In case you missed it, high-speed rail in Raleigh is finally on track (!). On Dec. 8, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg granted NCDOT ~$1.1 billion toward construction on a high-speed passenger rail line connecting Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia. The project, which is part of a multistep effort to “better connect the Southern states to DC and the Northeast Corridor,” will run from Sanford to Richmond, with additional pit stops in Apex, Youngsville and Henderson along the way.
Named the S-Line, the rail line will serve to reduce travel time to Virginia’s cap city by an estimated 90 minutes. And although the proposed track is not a commuter train, the federal funding will lay the groundwork for the rail line by building the first portion of track, spanning from Raleigh to Wake Forest.
For anyone who dreams of skipping traffic and pollution of the interstate, this announcement is a dream come true—but the ideal passenger railway is going to need more destinations than Richmond in order to benefit the diverse travel needs of Raleighites. To that end, there may be even more additions to U.S. railways in the near future—and even more destinations for North Carolinians to explore.
The $8.2 billion in federal transportation grants Biden announced Dec. 8 not only support Southeast travelers, but also major transit upgrades for Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, Montana and Alaska—along with America’s first high-speed rail on a route between Southern California and Las Vegas. In conjunction with the funding came the announcement of “a comprehensive plan that makes it easier to expand passenger rail lines in 44 states” through the Corridor Identification and Development Program. In other words, December’s inaugural announcement is only the start of the U.S.’s total transit upgrade.
The Corridor Identification and Development Program also received a check to the tune of $34.5 million toward guiding railway development in 69 corridors (or regions). NC is set to be the star, from connecting the North and Southeast with a proposed railway from Charlotte to DC, with plenty of proposed in-state rails for commuters to enjoy as well, such as a proposed high-speed rail from Charlotte to Atlanta and lines joining Wilmington, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem to Raleigh.
Despite approval and funding for future transit, North Carolinians will have to wait to travel by train for the time being. The S-Line is beginning preliminary design and environmental document reevaluations, with plans to finalize the design from 2024–27. While it’ll be several years before these updates will be chugging down the tracks, the future of public transport is looking bright indeed.
Related Articles
Share this Post