This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
2/27/2024
North Carolina’s rail system contributes more than $20 billion to the state’s economy and supports 88,000 jobs, according to a new report from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
The report was produced in partnership with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at North Carolina State University. It's the first of its kind and shows that North Carolina’s rail system is important to the state’s future, NCDOT officials said in a news release.
"This research report demonstrates the importance of the rail network to our state’s economy, moving people and goods safely and efficiently," said NCDOT Rail Division Director Jason Orthner.
The report highlights specific annual impacts and contributions from rail sectors including freight, passenger and rail tourism. Two Class Is — CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway — and 24 short lines operate in the state.
In 2019, freight railroads carried an average of 3,667 tons of cargo per train, leveraging the environmentally sustainable benefit of shipping goods and raw materials by rail and reducing the impact on the state’s highway infrastructure, Rail Division officials said.
The division oversees 3,600 rail corridor miles across the state, including the 317-mile North Carolina Railroad Co. corridor that's used by freight railroads and NC By Train, North Carolina's intercity passenger-rail service.