NCDOT Rail Division

News Release
Date: 3-27-08

NCDOT Awards More Than $2 Million in Grants to Small Freight Railroads
Funds to Be Used for Track and Bridge Infrastructure Maintenance and Upgrades

RALEIGH — The N.C. Board of Transportation recently awarded more than $2 million in state funds to 11 small freight railroads through the Short Line Infrastructure Assistance Program. The grants will be used to help with track and bridge maintenance and other improvements. (See list of grant recipients and project summaries below.)

“This program demonstrates our commitment to modernize the state’s rail infrastructure by improving capacity, reliability and safety,” Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett said. “Public-private partnerships such as this program open the door to increased economic development and diverse industry growth.”

The money will be used to assist 11 railroads that will directly benefit 23 counties and 81 companies employing more than 6,462 people across the state.

SIAP’s focus is to help smaller railroads – known as short lines – maintain and improve their tracks and better serve industries in primarily rural areas. The short lines transport goods and materials between local industries and major freight railroads relieving some of the heavy truck traffic from the state’s major highways, reducing wear and tear on the roadways, and improving the efficiency of the overall transportation system. Improvements to the short lines also help communities retain and attract industries and improve economic competitiveness in these areas. Twenty-one short lines currently operate about 930 miles or 29 percent of freight railroads in North Carolina.

The freight rail projects were ranked based on public and project benefits. Individual grants range from $35,269 awarded to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, a freight and tourist railroad between Dillsboro and Nantahala, to $601,300 awarded to the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway, a freight railroad serving Charlotte to Sanford and Aberdeen to Star.

Rail Freight Assistance Program Grants

Railroad*	Project Location (by county)	Grant Amount	Total Project Cost	Industries/ Employees	Project Summary
Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway	Mecklenburg, Cabarrus & Stanly	$601,300	$1,202,678	6/426	Repair tracks in Charlotte and east of Oakboro
Alexander Railroad	Alexander	$92,500	$185,000	3/265	Construct passing track required to serve three customers in Statesville
Atlantic & Western Railway	Chatham & Lee	$70,700	$141,400	2/143	Repair a railroad bridge north of Sanford
Caldwell County Railroad	Catawba & Caldwell	$40,000	$80,000	7/498	Repair tracks between Lenoir and Hickory and upgrade siding in Granite Falls
Carolina Coastal Railway	Wake, Nash, Wilson, Greene, Pitt, Beaufort & Washington	$318,600	$637,200	26/2,564	Repair tracks and upgrade railroad bridge between Bailey and Farmville; construct runaround track and locomotive service pit in Wilson
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad**	Macon, Swain and Jackson	$35,269	$70,538	1/45	Replace switches between Dillsboro and Nantahala
High Point, Thomasville & Denton Railroad	Guilford	$123,500	$247,000	9/770	Upgrade tracks in the High Point yard area
Laurinburg & Southern Railroad	Scotland	$97,500	$195,000	5/238	Repair tracks in Laurinburg area and south
Thermal Belt Railroad	Rutherford	$50,000	$100,000	6/155	Realign and repair siding in Bostic
Wilmington Terminal Railroad	New Hanover	$87,300	$174,765	7/313	Repair and surface track and yard in Wilmington
Yadkin Valley Railroad	Surry	$500,000	$1,000,391	9/1090	Upgrade YVRR tracks in Rockford area

**GSMR transported approximately 187,000 passengers in 2007.

***NCDOT***

Contact:
Joan Bagherpour, 919-733-7245 x261
NCDOT Rail Division