ASHEVILLE – Nearly $3.5 million has been approved to identify new rail routes across North Carolina, including $500,000 to identify and develop a passenger rail corridor from Asheville to Salisbury.
This investment is an early step in bringing passenger rail back to Western North Carolina.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation was announced by Sen. Thom Tillis on Dec. 5, coinciding with the announcement of a $1 billion grant to expand “S Line” service between Raleigh and Richmond. Ta.
Although the DOT has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the grant, the Western North Carolina Railroad Commission will hold its fourth annual meeting on December 6 to celebrate the news and to announce the release of the North Carolina Department of Transportation Railroad Commissioner. I heard the latest information from Jason. Autoner.
“This is very exciting news and makes North Carolina one of the few states with the trust of the federal government that has a truly mature, ready-to-go program,” Ortner said.
Orsner was candid about the Asheville-Salisbury corridor getting $500,000 in development investment.
“The easiest thing to say is that Western North Carolina is definitely on the map,” he said.
In March, NCDOT proposed the Salisbury to Asheville line as part of 12 proposed routes for federal consideration. Just a few months later, in June, the draft WNC Passenger Rail Feasibility Study was released. In this study, 139 miles of rail line from Salisbury to Asheville We currently estimate that installing this line will cost approximately $665 million.
The final form of the study is expected to be released “this week,” but another NCDOT study says the demand for the Asheville route is clear.
Ortner said an unpublished ridership study found that Asheville was the most requested location in North Carolina not currently on Amtrak by Train service.
“I think Asheville is the No. 1 location as a result and really represents Western North Carolina,” Orsner said.
more: No longer a ‘distant dream’, Asheville is vying for return of passenger rail service to WNC
In October, nearly 66,000 passengers traveled through North Carolina on rail service provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the highest monthly ridership ever recorded by NCDOT.
None of these passengers departed from WNC.
The last passenger rail line left Asheville in 1975, leaving the area without passenger rail service for nearly 50 years. In 2021, Amtrak included the Asheville Line in its 2035 long-distance rail plan.
Local support ahead of serious discussions
Mayor Esther Manheimer said the federal funding is “incredibly important.”
“I think there’s been a lot of talk about this over the years, but everyone seems to be scratching their heads about where the money is coming from,” Mannheimer told the Citizen Times. he said. “We finally have significant funding available to support these efforts.”
Ray Rapp, a former Democratic state lawmaker and longtime rail advocate, said much serious debate about the proposal is yet to come. This is just the first step in a longer process.
“This is a significant step, and the last thing we want people to do is call Amtrak and try to get a ticket. But the big picture is that we’re getting closer and closer. I want people to understand that,” Rupp told the Citizen Times. “And we think this is a very viable and realistic option to restore passenger service to Asheville, which hasn’t been there since 1975.”
According to the draft WNC Rail Feasibility Study, the current plan to consider a rail line between Asheville and Salisbury began with a 1997 study of various alternatives for passenger rail to Asheville.
Salisbury is located 210 miles east of Asheville in Rowan County.
Five studies over the past 26 years have found Salisbury to be the most logical alternative for the connection. Meanwhile, the 2020 Southeast Regional Rail Plan shows the eventual connection between the high-performance corridors identified between Atlanta and Washington, DC.
Another big hurdle? The state must provide at least 20% of the $665 million proposal.
Rupp said there is a need to bring together state and local elected leaders to inform and guide the decision-making process.
One of the City of Asheville’s major decisions concerns the terminus of the railroad.
The draft report mentions a proposed $5 million extension that would extend the rail line beyond the currently proposed Biltmore Village stop and bring the final stop closer to the River Arts District. If the city wants to move the rail line closer to downtown, it may need to raise money.
“If the city of Asheville wants to relocate, they have to raise at least another $5 million at this point,” Rupp said during the meeting. “I’m just taking this as an example, not a definitive issue. If we’re going to move the ball forward, we’re going to have these conversations.”
The final location in or near the River Arts District is not specified in the draft study, but the $5 million needed to relocate it is currently included in the estimated $665 budget. This is only about 0.7% of the project’s estimated budget.
Manheimer said the city may consider relocating the Biltmore location as a final destination, but noted it is too early to say where that final destination will be.
“Historically, Biltmore has been a stop, and that’s probably why that assumption was made,” she said. “But Asheville has changed so much in that time that it might make sense to move elsewhere.”
“Certainly, we are still in the preliminary stages and have a lot of information to consider before deciding which opportunities we want to support as a city,” she continued.
Rupp said he has not yet heard from U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards about the proposal. He had previously expressed reservations about the project.
But Rupp is working with local state legislators, including state Rep. Hugh Blackwell and state Sen. Warren Daniel, to secure the state funding needed to “finish what needs to be done in developing the corridor.” We have been working towards this. . ”
What about other NC rail lines?
The route to Asheville is just one of seven locations slated for investment from the DOT. Other $500,000 grant recipients are:
- Corridor from Charlotte to Washington DC
- Corridor from Charlotte to Atlanta, Georgia
- From Charlotte to Kings Mountain Corridor
- From Winston-Salem to the Raleigh Corridor
- Corridor from Fayetteville to Raleigh
- Corridor from Wilmington to Raleigh
- Corridor from Asheville to Salisbury
more: North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Asheville-Amtrak rail route proposal
more: OPINION: Asheville has a chance to revive the Amtrak passenger train system
Will Hoffman is a growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Any tips? Email WHOfmann@citizentimes.com.