North Carolina Railroad to invest in VinFast auto ramp project

The North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) will invest about $1 million to assist with the construction of a new auto ramp that will serve VinFast LLC's future electric vehicle (EV) assembly and battery manufacturing plant at the Triangle Innovation Point site in North Carolina.

The Vietnam-based automotive manufacturer yesterday announced its first U.S. manufacturing campus will be located in Chatham County. The company requires signifnicant freight-rail infrastructure for CSX or Norfolk Southern Railway to serve the new facility, NCRR officials said in a press release.

NCRR will help with the auto ramp construction through its economic development initiative, NCRR Invests. The project will help increase freight-rail activity in the state by at least 5,000 additional rail cars each year, railroad officials said.

"We are pleased to play a small part in anchoring additional players in the EV manufacturing space in our state," said NCRR President and CEO Carl Warren.

VinFast is the second EV manufacturer to seek a campus in North Carolina in partnership with state and local leaders, including NCRR. NCRR and its collaborators at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite helped attract the state’s first automotive battery plant, for Toyota Battery Manufacturing, in December 2021.