(The Center Square) – More investment has been made in the future of rail in North Carolina with grants totaling $2 million for four sites.
Richmond, Nash, Burke and Warren counties received awards in the third year of the North Carolina Railroad's Build Ready Sites program. The private company whose voting shares are held by the state of North Carolina provides options for how each recipient uses the funds at the Energy Way Industrial Park, the Ammons site, the Grant Meadows site, and the Highway 1 site, respectively.
Options include land preparation and expanding water and sewer capacity. The program prioritizes “rural and economically distressed communities, sites with demonstrated community support, and sites with support from infrastructure partners, including railroads and some utility providers,” a statement said.
The mission of the North Carolina Railroad Company is to improve rail options for freight and passengers. Statistically speaking, railroads have long lagged behind when it comes to moving people — both within urban areas and via interstate and interstate travel.
However, investments have come. The General Assembly appropriated $45.2 million from taxpayers for both the current budget year and the next, partly as a required match to tap federal dollars for the S line.
The high-performance commuter rail line extending from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia, and seven other corridors throughout the state, are part of more than $1.4 billion in taxpayer money through federal grants.
The state Department of Transportation, in its approval last June of the state's $35 billion, 10-year transportation improvement program, listed 101 rail projects.
Funds awarded in the Build Ready Sites program, according to the North Carolina Railroad's most recent annual report, were Alexander, Pitt, Johnston, Moore, Burke and Montgomery counties in 2021; and Catawba, Iredell, Randolph, Chatham, Montgomery, Scotland, and Beaufort in 2022. The firm has also invested in at least 19 large companies or sites, most recently Siemens Mobility, Sumitomo Forestry America, Technimark, Nucor, VinFast, and Service Offside Solutions.
