High-speed rail from Raleigh to Richmond just got a little closer to reality
A blockbuster deal announced last week between freight railroad CSX and the state of Virginia includes something for North Carolina that will help with the development of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond.
CSX agreed to allow the N.C. Department of Transportation to eventually acquire about 10 miles of railroad right-of-way in Warren County, between Ridgeway and the Virginia state line. Virginia will acquire another 65 miles of the CSX line from the state line north to near Petersburg.
Leaders from North Carolina and Virginia began planning for high-speed passenger trains through the two states in 1992 and have been anticipating the day when they’d have access to CSX’s so-called S-line between Raleigh and Petersburg. Virginia’s deal with CSX will provide a boost to North Carolina’s efforts to acquire the rest of the rail line between Raleigh and Ridgeway, said Jason Orthner, NCDOT’s rail director.
“Virginia’s step forward here sets us up for a transaction on our side of the border,” Orthner said in an interview Monday.
Orthner said it’s not clear yet how NCDOT will acquire the 10 miles of right-of-way in Warren County or how much it will cost. “The details will need to be worked out,” he said.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that CSX had agreed to sell 350 miles of railroad right-of-way to the state, including 225 miles of track. The $3.7 billion deal will give Virginia control over key sections of the main rail connection between Richmond and Washington, D.C., allowing it to work with Amtrak to increase passenger rail service between the two cities and to improve commuter rail service in the Northern Virginia suburbs.
The agreement also calls for Virginia to build a new bridge across the Potomac River, parallel to the existing one now used by Amtrak, commuter trains and CSX. The new bridge would be used exclusively by passenger and commuter trains, leaving the existing CSX bridge for freight.
The tracks on the CSX line between Ridgeway and Petersburg were removed in the 1980s. Orthner said the remaining tracks between Raleigh and Ridgeway are “under-utilized” by CSX, which moves most of its freight on the so-called A-line through Fayetteville, Wilson and Rocky Mount, where the company is building a terminal to shift cargo containers between trucks and trains.
The state’s long-term plans for rail service include passenger trains capable of going 110 miles per hour between Raleigh and Richmond on the S-line. Orthner says the tracks also could be used eventually for commuter rail service between downtown Raleigh and Wake Forest. NCDOT is working to eliminate railroad crossings on the CSX line in Wake County by building bridges, starting with Durant and New Hope Church roads in Raleigh.
Virginia and North Carolina created the Interstate High Speed Rail Compact in 1992, and the concept was later expanded to include high-speed trains in the Southeast from Washington south to Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. State Sen. Tom McInnis, a Republican from Richmond County who heads the state’s delegation to the compact, said Virginia’s pact with CSX is a big deal for North Carolina.
“This agreement takes us a big step forward in our efforts to better connect North Carolina communities,” McInnis said in a statement. “And it will offer new connections between our state and our neighbors, providing lasting economic development opportunities for our state.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 1:59 PM.
