North Carolina transportation officials are working to expand passenger rail service across the state, including a route offering quicker access from the Triangle to Wilmington. Other coastal routes could be in the future.
The state submitted at least seven corridors into the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, which evaluates rail corridors, prioritizes projects and makes them eligible for funding. Seven received initial approval, including routes to Wilmington, Fayetteville, Kings Mountain, Atlanta, and Winston-Salem. The state is also examining possible rail routes connecting Raleigh and Morehead City.
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Officials are looking to expand the state’s rail network, including routes that would better connect Raleigh to Greenville, Hamlet, Morehead City, Weldon and Winston-Salem to Charlotte.
Under the Federal Railroad Administration program, the federal government could cover up to 80% of costs, the remaining 20% paid by state or local governments.
North Carolina’s existing Amtrak Piedmont and Carolinian services are at the highest ridership in 35 years, with a 59% increase since 2019, showing strong public demand for intercity rail, according to transportation officials. The state has been studying the feasibility of trips to the coast, focusing on Wilmington to start.
To get to Wilmington currently, Amtrak riders would have to disembark in Wilson and transfer to a bus the rest of the way — a journey that can take more than 10 hours.
“We’ve heard from communities across the state … they are interested in seeing that type of service come to their community," Jason Orthner, director of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s rail division, told lawmakers during a recent hearing before a transportation oversight committee.
Most projects remain in early planning and federal review, and no construction timelines have been finalized, according to NCDOT. Under the federal program, corridors, including the Raleigh to Wilmington route, are in the project planning and development phase. That process could take several years.
Depending on the route, expanding North Carolina’s rail network would cost hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars.
The proposed Raleigh-to-Wilmington line is estimated at about $810 million, including $162 million in local and state funds.
The state has studied feasibility of a train that would run six times per day, with a stop in Goldsboro. A Salisbury-to-Asheville route would cost about $665 million.
Some larger projects, including parts of the S-Line — which would go from Raleigh to Richmond and Raleigh to Wake Forest, could cost billions of dollars, with one segment funded at $1.9 billion.
Several projects are not yet funded and would require additional approvals before construction begins.
The state has spent hundreds of millions on rail and transit studies, but many projects have not resulted in new service. A $150 million Triangle light-rail study, for instance, never led to service, and other planning efforts stalled or produced little progress.