Raleigh’s S-Line Could Reshape the Region

Raleigh’s long-awaited S-Line reshapes how the region moves.

Move over, light rail—Raleigh is getting high-speed rail. Reaching speeds up to 110 mph, the incoming S-Line will deliver riders between Downtown Raleigh and Wake Forest in less than 20 minutes by 2031.

Across the board, one of Raleighites’ biggest complaints is transit—full stop. Already a highly car-dependent city, Raleigh is growing up and out quicker than our transit system and roadways can keep up, leaving residents with few modes to get around—and traffic to absorb the rest.

More than 20 years in the making, the S-Line ultimately promises to level up transit beyond Wake Forest, eventually connecting Raleigh to Richmond with future stops in Youngsville, Franklinton, Henderson, Norlina and Petersburg.

Pulling in from North Raleigh, the railway will run alongside Atlantic Avenue and Wake Forest Road before crossing over Capital Boulevard—over the Conlon Family Skatepark, says NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Julie White—before chugging down West Street in the final stretch to Raleigh Union Station. 

Existing rail already leads the train’s path through DTR via CSX freight lines that NCDOT is in the final stages of purchasing, but high-speed rail will require improved tracks and a larger buffer than slow-moving freight trains, along with new bridges and underpasses at multiple crossings. 

In short, growth doesn’t come without compromise, and adjacent properties won’t be left untouched. 

While the fate of the track-bordering buildings along West Street—think The Cardinal, Stella’s, Transtar Aftermarket Solutions, and FlowCorps, to name a few—isn’t certain, the question of impact is: The S-Line footprint expands beyond current tracks, putting properties in close proximity to a potential right-of-way zone. 

In NC, railroad right-of-way varies anywhere from 30 to 200+ feet from the centerline of the track, but until the final railway design is nailed down, exactly how much space the S-Line will claim is unclear. 

While local businesses will be affected—and possibly forced out—NCDOT tries not to cause turmoil without a plan—or without permission. The agency met with the mayor of every town and city bordering the S-Line in 2019, White tells RM, building on community engagement that launched in the early 2000s. 

“Our rule is we don’t want to be doing something in a community that the community doesn’t want,” maintains White. “All the rails go through the middle of the downtowns, so we asked if it aligned with their goals.” The answer was overwhelmingly yes. 

Impacted property owners were part of the conversation. “They’re aware of the project and the existing plans,” maintains White. Because land can turn over fast—especially over the course of a two decade-long project—NCDOT circles back to engage with new owners more frequently than law requires. 

While multimodal transit naturally remains the focal point of the project, White doesn’t expect everyone to abandon their cars and hop on the rail. “It’s not the point,” she notes. “But if you can shift some folks over to take the train, even those who don’t take the train have more space to get where they want to go.”

The goal, she says, is to lessen traffic and maintain consistent commute times for riders and drivers alike—similar to our Northeastern counterparts.

The outcome? NCers can more easily live and work where they want to, whether that’s a rural town or city center. The corridor won’t just fill a missing link for Raleigh, but for the entire Southeast. Once fully complete, it will effectively slash travel times to DC and beyond, while upping convenience via more frequent trains and reliable service. 

“The train time doesn’t change, so giving people the ability to live where they want to live and work where they want to work is a wonderful strategy that goes far past Raleigh,” says White. In a city where getting anywhere can feel like a gamble, that kind of mobility changes everything.

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