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NC Sees Continued Passenger Rail Growth as Two Additional Corridors Get Better Defined

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North Carolina continues to see growth in their passenger rail service.  (I'm now one of them.)  2024 was another record year - over 720,000 passengers took to the rails in the Tar Heel State, 12% more than the year before.  Meanwhile, feasibility studies on two additional corridors point the way to further expansion.

2024 Ridership Gains:

For the third consecutive year, North Carolina's Rail Division has seen a record number of passengers.  The over 720,000 passenger ridership is also up 55% from pre-COVID levels.  

NC's Rail Division is also being creative to attract passengers.  In addition to additional stops for key events - the North Carolina State Fair and the Lexington Barbecue Festival - special train runs, for example, the 2024 U.S. Open in Pinehurst, drove growth.  Limited edition runs for special events continued in 2025 with the "Rockingham Special," a one-day round-trip service to Rockingham for the NASCAR race at Rockingham Speedway.

Eastern and Western Corridors Take Shape:

Salisbury-to-Asheville:

Updated feasibility studies on two corridors - west towards Asheville and southeast towards Wilmington - were released in December 2023 and September 2024, respectively.

The western (Salisbury to Asheville) corridor study was released in December 2023.  The study looked at a maximum of a three-times daily round-trip between Salisbury and Asheville.  The service would begin at the current Salisbury Amtrak station and head west to Asheville along Norfolk Southern's AS-Line.  The total travel time would be about three and a half hours.

In Asheville, the station would most likely be within Biltmore Village; however, there is a possibility that the Asheville station will be in the River Arts District.  If the final Asheville station is in the River Arts District, the trip would be closer to 3 hours and 48 minutes.

Old Fort has often been considered as a site for a passenger station along the Asheville-to-Salisbury rail route. (Adam Prince, 2007)

While the study doesn't name any additional stations in between Asheville and Salisbury, the study accounted for seven intermediate stations.  Possible station locations include - Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, Old Fort, Black Mountain, and more.

The estimated cost for the construction of the rail corridor is $665 million.  Over half the cost would be toward the track infrastructure, much of which would go to building new or rehabilitating existing sidings along the line. 

Ridership is estimated at 100,000 annual local passengers by 2045, with an additional 450,000 passengers continuing within the state or beyond.

Norfolk Southern's AS-Line Route
through the Old Fort Loops.
(NC Rail Division / WCI, Inc.)
One of the drawbacks to the Salisbury-Asheville corridor will be the time.  Driving between the two cities takes about two hours and fifteen minutes.  The one-hour to 90-minute difference may be a deterrent towards reaching a three-times daily service.  A key chunk of that time difference comes from what is known as the 'Old Fort Loops' - 13 miles and seven tunnels - that switchback and wind through the Blue Ridge Escarpment.  

While very scenic, the travel is slow, and after Hurricane Helene, prone to landslides.  However, the connection of Western North Carolina communities along the I-40 corridor to the rest of North Carolina's rail system would have many benefits.

One of the seven tunnels within the Old Fort Loops. (Adam Prince, 2007)

While the study doesn't give an estimated timetable for completion, it is the best comprehensive picture of passenger rail service to Asheville for the first time since 1975.

Raleigh-to-Wilmington:

The Southeastern expansion to Wilmington study was released in August 2024.  The study looked at two different Raleigh-to-Wilmington corridors - a western route via Fayetteville and Lumberton, and an eastern route via Goldsboro.

A table comparing the two routes shows that the eastern route through Goldsboro takes less time, is shorter, and costs less. However, the western route would have more overall ridership.  In the end, the eastern corridor through Goldsboro was recommended.  It would cost over $150 million less and take nearly one hour less travel time.

A side-by-side comparison of the eastern and western alternatives for the Raleigh-to-Wilmington passenger rail route. (NC Rail Division / WCI, Inc.)

Unlike the Asheville-Salisbury corridor, the Goldsboro route would need the return of 27 miles of track between Wallace and Castle Hayne.  CSX discontinued service between the two towns in 1986 and ultimately removed all track and structures, except for a rail bridge over the Cape Fear River.  Fortunately, the State of North Carolina owns and has preserved the rail corridor for future use.

The former rail station in Burgaw. Burgaw is a candidate for a possible passenger station on the Raleigh-to-Wilmington line.  (Adam Prince, 2009)

The Raleigh-to-Wilmington route would have stops at Selma and Goldsboro. Clayton is also a probable station location, as would be two additional stops.  The Wilmington station would be located at Padgett Station along North 3rd Street. The estimated travel time is 2 hours and 35 minutes, which is very competitive compared to the estimated 2 hours and 20 to 40 minutes via automobile.  (And if you have ever been on I-40 with beach traffic or a bad wreck, it can be A LOT longer.)

The study accounted for up to a three-times daily round trip schedule, resulting in an estimated 180 to 310 thousand annual riders by 2045.

The approximate location of where the Raleigh-to-Wilmington passenger rail line will terminate in Wilmington. (Adam Prince, 2008)

Of the estimated $810 million cost to bring passenger rail between Raleigh and Wilmington, over $400 million is for track infrastructure and grade crossing upgrades.  With the need to construct missing track, connections to two different tracks in Goldsboro, and missing track near Padgett Station, capital costs for the line to Wilmington are significantly higher than expanding to Asheville.  However, the thought of having a reliable, time-competitive alternative to Interstate 40 between Raleigh and Wilmington may make this service extremely popular.

While there aren't any current dedicated funds for either corridor, a defined feasibility study gives NCDOT's Rail Division a path forward.

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