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Norfolk Southern Railway, North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Rail Division are teaming up to upgrade 43 public grade crossings between Selma and Morehead City.

The $7.6 million project will take about three years to complete. The state will provide about 56 percent of project costs through federal crossing safety funds. NCRR — which manages a 317-mile Morehead City-to-Charlotte rail corridor — will cover about 24 percent and NS, about 20 percent of remaining costs.

Part of the state's program to enhance crossing safety by adding or improving signals and gates, the project calls for installing warning devices at certain crossings and closing others.

Meanwhile, NS announced plans to convey ownership of a 23-mile abandoned portion of its Enola branch line to six townships in Lancaster County, Pa. The property transfer culminates an effort that began in 1989, when NS predecessor Conrail filed to abandon the line with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The abandonment was approved by the ICC in 1993, but subsequently became the subject of numerous legal actions.

As part of the transfer, NS will make certain payments to the townships and remove several overhead structures on the line.