As cities expand and transportation demands grow, the need for safer, more efficient rail systems becomes critical. Rail line improvements aren’t only about enhancing transportation—they’re about safeguarding our communities and providing vital connections between rural and urban areas. More than simply moving people and goods, improving rail systems allows us to build infrastructure that supports the safety, accessibility, and vitality of our communities.
History of Rail in the Southeast
When you think about rail travel in the southern United States, you may imagine tunnels cutting through the Appalachian Mountains. You might also picture Terminus, the “end of the line” in central Georgia, which became an anchor point for what we now know as Atlanta. For decades, manufacturing companies throughout the South utilized the winding rail system that snaked through the southern landscape to transport their products west to the Mighty Mississippi or east to the many ports guarding the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As the manufacturing industry slowly left the quiet rail towns throughout the region, the existing tracks were abandoned and slowly faded back into the rural nature landscape they were forged from.
Formally known as the S-Line, the CSX Transportation line stretches from Tampa, Florida to Richmond, Virginia and serves both passenger and freight needs throughout its segmented span. The former track owners, Seaboard Air Line Railroad, utilized portions of tracks along the eastern seaboard that were built by multiple different railroad companies, including the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, which originally terminated in Raleigh, North Carolina. Construction on some of these rail lines began as early as the 1830s, and they have been in various states of improvement, deterioration, or abandonment since then including the complete removal of tracks between Centralia, Virginia and Norlina, North Carolina.
S-Line: Raleigh to Richmond
As part of the federal investigation into high-speed passenger rail corridors during the 1990s, the Southeast Corridor was identified as one of five proposed high-speed rail corridors in the country. The Southeast Corridor Commission, comprised of six states and Washington, D.C., has spearheaded the effort to create the Southeast Regional Rail Plan, which coordinates efforts amongst states’ Department of Transportation and other rail stakeholders.
The Raleigh to Richmond (R2R) leg of the S-Line Passenger Rail Corridor has received multiple grants for funding since 2020, including a $1.09 billion grant from the Federal Railroad Administration as part of the Intercity Passenger Rail Federal-State Partnership (FSP) grant. This grant is the largest grant the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has ever received, ranking it as the third largest grant awarded during 2023 as part of the FSP program. This grant provides funding for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of the initial phase of the R2R program from Raleigh, NC to Wake Forest, NC. This investment and construction will also allow Amtrak to extend its existing passenger rail service Piedmont rail line to Wake Forest.
Mead & Hunt was selected as one of eight firms to prime the roadway improvements associated with the S-Line: Raleigh to Richmond project. This selection by the NCDOT allows all transportation disciplines within the Mead & Hunt Raleigh office to take part in the improvement of existing at-grade railroad crossings and their conversion to grade-separated crossings at two locations. Through this collaboration with the NCDOT Rail Division and our teaming partner AtkinsRéalis, Mead & Hunt will play an integral role in connecting population and economic hubs in the Southeast. The future of the high-speed rail corridor will transport passengers at speeds up to 110 miles per hour, reducing travel time between major southern cities and connecting communities to the robust rail networks in the northeast and across the country.
ASHE Annual Conference: An S-Line Preview
In June 2024, the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) hosted its annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a part of the conference activities, ASHE partnered with the NCDOT Rail Division to host a Regional Rail Technical Tour, giving attendees the opportunity to ride part of the existing Piedmont rail line from Raleigh to Durham. Mead & Hunt’s Rick DeCola was tasked with coordinating this event with attendees and volunteers. In addition to Rick, Mead & Hunt was represented by Lauren Chandarana and me as volunteers for this unique event. Joining us on the triangle rail tour of the triangle was Deputy Director of the NCDOT Rail Division Matthew Simmons. Matthew took time during our train ride to explain the history of the project, including existing infrastructure, project funding, and the economic impact that the R2R project will have on communities in North Carolina and Virginia.
It’s estimated that the high-speed rail improvements will result in an economic output of $1.38 billion through 2033, creating more than 8,000 jobs and leading to over $42 million in state and local tax revenue.
A key goal in the construction of the S-Line improvements is to increase safety, both for users of the rail line and those living in and visiting the communities the tracks roll through. The roadway grade separations at existing crossings will allow trains to maintain high speeds while allowing car traffic to pass above or below active routes. In addition, freight bypass tracks will be implemented to reduce congestion between passenger cars and freight cars.
With the ongoing push to identify and take advantage of alternative forms of transportation, the Raleigh to Richmond program looks to be a major player in the future of transportation. The S-Line is set to be an active network of regional, multi-modal transportation that will eventually provide a direct connection between rural communities and urban centers.
