RALEIGH – Five short line railroads will be improving their rail infrastructure, thanks to approximately $2.1 million in matching grant funds being awarded as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement (FRRCSI) Program. This grant funding is in addition to $12 million in grants to 12 short line railroads, announced in December 2022 under the same program.
FRRCSI supports rail infrastructure improvements throughout the state, enabling NCDOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to effectively move freight. This partnership helps railroads efficiently meet customer needs in cost-effective ways, while preparing them for growing service demands and partnerships with new businesses and industries.
The grants will be matched with short line railroad funds to contribute approximately $4.2 million in rail infrastructure improvements. Together, these projects will support improvements to 78.2 miles of railroad track in North Carolina. The grant funds awarded are as follows:
- Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway Company: $479,600 for drainage system improvements on the Piedmont Division (Montgomery County).
- Alexander Railroad Company: $356,000 for rail improvements on their main line corridor (Iredell County).
- Carolina Coastal Railway: $525,000 for bridge improvements and track upgrades along the main line and Nash County corridors (Beaufort, Greene, Johnston, Martin, Nash, Pitt, Wake, Warren, Washington, and Wilson Counties).
- Chesapeake & Albemarle Railroad: $561,248 for rail improvements, track upgrades, and improvements to a rail siding along the mainline (Pasquotank, Chowan and Camden Counties).
- Charlotte Western Railroad: $174,250 for track upgrades along the mainline (Gaston County).
The Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Program was established in 2013 by the N.C. General Assembly.