NC: Wake Forest wins big federal grant to build downtown train station

Wake Forest has received a $13.2 million federal grant to help it build a station downtown where, if all goes as planned, people will be able to catch an Amtrak train in five years.

The grant will be administered by the N.C. Department of Transportation, which pays Amtrak to run Piedmont trains between Raleigh and Charlotte.

NCDOT says it hopes to extend Piedmont service to Wake Forest starting in 2030. The federal government has pledged nearly $1.1 billion to help the state upgrade an old freight line between downtown Raleigh and Wake Forest, including new track and several bridges to eliminate at-grade crossings.

It’s the first step toward establishing a modern passenger rail link between Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia, on a rail corridor known as the S-line. Both states are buying the corridor from CSX and building the tracks in stages.

NCDOT is helping Wake Forest plan and build the station, which they call a “mobility hub.” The town wants to build it downtown, on a parking lot off White Street where the former train depot once stood.

Preliminary plans call for a two-story building with indoor and outdoor waiting areas, a ticket counter, restrooms, a cafe and about 1,500 square feet of space that businesses could lease.

The plans also call for a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to a drop-off and pick-up zone for cars on East South Avenue, keeping them out of the downtown business district.

Grant will help town build a basic train station

The Wake Forest mobility hub is expected to cost $60 million. The $13.2 million federal grant, plus $3.3 million from the town, will cover final design, right of way and construction of a functioning station building, with a single floor for passenger waiting and ticket purchases and a platform for boarding trains, said NCDOT spokesman Jamie Kritzer.

Kritzer said NCDOT will help Wake Forest find additional federal money to finish the hub and offer technical assistance but will not provide any state money for it.

Wake Forest Mayor Vivian Jones said the town is grateful for the state and federal help.

“This grant secures some of the funding we need to build a mobility hub where passenger rail travelers will disembark and find ways to finish their travels through public transit, walking, biking and ride-sharing services,” Jones said in a written statement.

While the ultimate goal is passenger trains between Raleigh and Richmond, extending the Piedmont to Wake Forest would be an interim step. Amtrak makes four round trips of the Piedmont between Raleigh Union Station and Charlotte each day, and NCDOT hopes to add another daily round trip in the coming years.

The Wake Forest grant was awarded under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE program. The program was established by Congress in 2009 and is now being funded by the big infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law in the fall of 2021.

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