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On Jan. 7, North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) announced plans to spend $24.5 million to install continuous welded rail on its mainline, and build six miles of double track and install electronic signals (as part of a Centralized Traffic Control project) between Raleigh and Goldsboro.
"[The projects will] help the state compete with other Atlantic Seaboard and southern states in recruiting new businesses and industries to replace the ones we've lost," said NCRR President Scott Saylor in a prepared statement.
NCRR officials believe the improvements will enable the railroad to increase train speed and reliability, and accommodate more freight and passenger trains. The signal project also will help the railroad attract commuter trains, NCRR said.
The projects will be funded from rent Norfolk Southern Railway pays to use NCRR's line.
NCRR owns and manages a 317-mile Morehead City-to-Charlotte line that daily accommodates more than 60 NS and eight Amtrak trains.