Raleigh-to-Richmond is just one of the new Amtrak routes NC could add under Biden plan
More direct train service between Raleigh and Richmond — and cities beyond. New passenger lines running to the North Carolina coast and to the state’s mountains. And a nationwide network of rail service connecting more cities.
It’s all part of Amtrak’s plan for $80 billion in federal dollars, proposed as part of President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan announced this week.
“I never dreamed we’d get $80 billion for inter-city rail,” said U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat and chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on transportation. “It would be a game changer for North Carolina.”
Price, a longtime advocate for increasing train service, pitched his ideas to the Biden administration in recent weeks, stressing the need for a multimodal approach and, especially, the Raleigh-to-Richmond train line.
Amtrak, which would receive the money, released its plan for enhanced and new services across the nation. It includes the Raleigh-to-Richmond line, as well as new routes to Wilmington and Asheville and new service from Charlotte to Greenville, S.C., Atlanta and beyond.
As part of its 2035 plan, Amtrak said it would have stops in 160 new communities, more than 30 potential new routes and more than 20 existing routes with more trips.
“With this federal investment, Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across cities, regions, and the entire country — and we are ready to deliver. America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service,” Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement.
There is Amtrak service between Richmond and Raleigh, but it is not the shortest distance. It instead runs east from Raleigh to Selma before heading north through Wilson and Rocky Mount.
The concept of high-speed passenger trains in a direct route between North Carolina’s capital city and Virginia’s has been around since at least 1992.
North Carolina’s Department of Transportation received a $47.5 million federal grant in September to buy a rail line between Raleigh and Ridgeway, near the Virginia state line, from freight railroad CSX, The News & Observer reported at the time.
Republican and Democratic members of the congressional delegation applauded the grant. Virginia has already purchased its share of the right of way.
Service between Charlotte and Raleigh is already complete. And Virginia has passenger rail between Richmond and, especially, Fredericksburg and Washington.
“Raleigh to Richmond is a big deal. We’ve got to get that CSX corridor purchased,” Price said in a telephone interview.
Price said part of the line could double as a commuter-rail track between Raleigh and Wake Forest.
Biden’s proposal is just a starting point. The package includes much more than just money for rail, including rural broadband and affordable housing. It would be paid for by an increase in the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. The rate was lowered from 35% to 21% in the 2017 Trump tax bill.
Some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader MItch McConnell, have already said they would not support a tax increase to pay for the plan. Price said the package is paid for in a “sensible and reasonable way,” noting that the corporate tax rate would still be lower than in the past.
“There’s some possibility here for bipartisan buy-in. I know how polarized everything is and how difficult it’s likely to be,” Price said. “We at least need to test the waters very seriously for bipartisan buy-in on this kind of initiative.”
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This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 2:17 PM.
