NCDOT awards rail infrastructure grants to short lines, ports authority

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded $10.9 million in matching grant funds to 13 short lines and the North Carolina Ports Authority to help pay for rail infrastructure improvements.

The grants and individual railroad investments will contribute more than $21.7 million to rail infrastructure improvements statewide, NCDOT officials said in a press release. The projects involve upgrades to more than 12 miles of track and 35 bridges in North Carolina.

Grants were awarded through the department's Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program, which aims to support rail infrastructure health, safety and performance.

The grant recipients, funds awarded and related projects are as follows:
• Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway, $3,563,324 for bridge improvements, siding construction and mainline track upgrades;
• Carolina Coastal Railway, $1,113,500 for mainline bridge and track improvements;
• North Carolina and Virginia Railroad, $974,434 for rail upgrades, bridge improvements and tie upgrades;
• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, $921,950 for bridge improvements, track, rail and tie upgrades;
• North Carolina State Ports Authority, $825,000 for dock rail improvements at the Port of Wilmington;
• Yadkin Valley Railroad, $762,538 for bridge improvements, switch upgrades and mainline track improvements;
• Atlantic and Western Railway, $625,572 for switch upgrades, rail improvements and bridge improvements;
• Wilmington Terminal Railroad, $575,172 for yard switch upgrades and related track improvements;
• Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad, $457,400 for bridge and structure improvements, plus track and tie upgrades;
• Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad, $419,175 for rail upgrades on its mainline;
• R.J. Corman Railroad Co., $219,349 for track and tie upgrades, and bridge improvements;
• Alexander Railroad Co., $218,660 for mainline tie upgrades and other track improvements;
• Thermal Belt Railway, $102,050 for rail and tie upgrades, and track alignment improvements; and
• Caldwell County Railroad, $73,125 for track alignment improvements, and track and tie upgrades.