North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) have broken ground on the S-Line Project, the major infrastructure project that will revitalize the Southeast Corridor of passenger rail.
In 2020, USDOT awarded the North Carolina Department of Transporation $47.5 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant funding to purchase the S-Line in what was viewed as the “missing link” for future high-performance passenger rail service between Raleigh, N.C., and Richmond, Va.
The S-Line rail corridor is a freight line, owned by CSX, that connects Richmond and Raleigh on the federally designated Southeast Corridor. The passenger rail service will provide a faster (up to 110 mph) and more direct route between Raleigh and Richmond. The 162-mile route will better connect North Carolina with Virginia, Washington D.C. and the Northeast Corridor.
“North Carolinians are clear they want safe, convenient and inexpensive ways to get where they’re going,” said Gov. Cooper. “These investments in our infrastructure will provide new transportation options and extend rail services in and out of our state.”
“I’m thrilled to kick off a nationwide tour of summer construction, with our first stops right here in North Carolina alongside Gov. Cooper,” said USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
In December 2023, USDOT awarded a $1.09 billion investment in the project through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $1.09 billion grant marks the largest grant NCDOT has received to date.
