The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today joined the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to celebrate obligating $550 million in federal funding to develop the new S-Line passenger rail route between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia. The long-awaited line will reduce travel time by up to 90 minutes, increase the number of trips, and improve reliability.

The S-Line announcement comes on the heels of Secretary Duffy’s $5.3 billion “Golden Age of Rail” nationwide grant package, which included an additional $300 million in funding to fix rail crossings as part of the NCDOT’s Piedmont Corridor Safety Program between Raleigh and Charlotte.

The federal investments into North Carolina rail include:

• $550 million for the future S-Line to make critical track repairs and upgrades on existing track with plans for additional funds to follow pending project success.
• $300 million for the existing Piedmont Corridor to close 9 at-grade rail crossings, construct 5 grade separations, and improve trespassing prevention infrastructure along the entire corridor.

When complete, the Raleigh-to-Richmond Passenger Rail Line is anticipated to save rail travelers 90 minutes when traveling between the two cities and will increase corridor bandwidth, allowing for more passenger and freight trips each day.

FRA’s $300 million investment in the Piedmont Corridor Safety Program is a key pillar of Secretary Duffy’s “Golden Age of Rail” package announced in August. Roughly $2 billion of this grant package is funding Secretary Duffy saved the American people by canceling California’s high-speed train funding.

-via Press Release