RALEIGH – Twelve short line railroads (Including Alexander Railroad of Taylorsville) and the North Carolina Ports Authority will soon be making improvements to their rail infrastructure thanks to approximately $10.2 million in matching grant funds being awarded as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program (FRRCSI).
FRRCSI supports rail infrastructure health, safety and performance throughout the state, enabling NCDOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to move freight more effectively. This partnership helps railroads meet customer needs efficiently and in cost-effective ways while preparing them for growing service demands and partnerships with new businesses and industries.
The grant funds contribute to nearly $20.4 million (total including funds from those below) in rail infrastructure improvements statewide. Funds awarded are as follows:
Alexander Railroad Company $750,000 for two projects to improve track, railroad crossings and expand truck/rail transload operations in Alexander County
Also receiving grant funds
Atlantic and Western Railway $430,000 for a project to upgrade track and switches in Lee County
Blue Ridge Southern Railroad $4,506,000 for four projects to upgrade track, railroad crossings and bridges in Haywood, Buncombe, Henderson and Jackson counties
Carolina Coastal Railway $2,196,000 for a project to increase low train speeds by improving bridges and track in Wake, Nash, Johnston, Wilson, Greene, Pitt, Beaufort, Washington and Martin counties
Chesapeake & Albemarle Railroad $1,865,000 for two projects to upgrade railroad track and improve bridges in Currituck and Camden counties, and construct a transload facility with upgraded turnouts in Pasquotank County
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad $1,922,000 for a project to upgrade railroad track and bridges, and raise the track bed to prevent washouts in Jackson and Swain counties
Laurinburg and Southern Railroad $1,000,000 to improve track and switches in Scotland County
North Carolina and Virginia Railroad $747,000 for upgrades to siding tracks in Bertie and Northampton counties
North Carolina State Ports Authority $1,411,000 for two projects to provide rail upgrades and install radiation scanners necessary for transporting intermodal containers via rail at the Port of Wilmington in New Hanover County
RJ Corman Railroad Company $2,484,000 to upgrade crossings and track in Columbus County, NC and Horry County, SC
Wilmington Terminal Railroad $1,191,000 to upgrade track in New Hanover County
Yadkin Valley Railroad $1,500,000 to upgrade track, switches and bridges in Forsyth, Stokes, Surry and Wilkes counties
The Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Program was established in 2013 by the N.C. General Assembly.