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Jan
28

NC Getting $520M Rail Upgrade

The Federal Government announced that North Carolina has won a $520M grant for rail upgrades. The stimulus money is going toward upgrading the rail corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.  Tracks will be upgraded, the number of round trips will be doubled, and top speeds will perhaps reach 90mph (though the average speed of the trip will not be dramatically affected).

No details are out yet about what these improvements specifically entail. At half a billion dollars, it is unlikely that any rail crossings will be converted to bridges. Most likely some nonessential crossings will close, but most will get upgraded signaling. It is doubtful that any of the Raleigh or Cary crossings will be affected, in contrast to the preliminary plans to improve the Raleigh to Washington corridor.

  • http://www.raleighdla.com Downtown Living Advocates

    The DLA is working with the City on the corridor plans, recommending that Downtown crossings be done at grade level, rather than using bridges that can cut-off neighborhoods and create privacy issues for residents living in adjacent multi-story buildings. Our research indicates that open trench crossings are preferred as they allow vehicle and pedestrians to cross at grade level, without the need for expensive tunneling.

  • Jenna

    Still not enough to get most people onto a train.

    According to Google Maps, it takes 2 hours 39 minutes to get from the Raleigh Amtrak station to the Charlotte Amtrak station in a car. Amtrak’s website shows that the same journey by train takes 3 hours 10 minutes and costs $25.00–one way!

    Until Amtrak slashes fares, or can get riders to their destinations at least as fast as cars, I don’t see rail travel picking up.

  • Chris

    At the current IRS rate of 50 cents/mile (which attempts to factoring in gas/maintenance/depreciation/etc.), that same one-way trip would cost you 128 miles * 0.50 = $64.

    How much more of a slashed fare do you need?? Increased frequency, however? Couldn’t agree more.

  • http://www.mmipublicrelations.com/blog Jake

    It looks like the final funding total is now $545M ( http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6903052/ ). Not a remarkable difference in the larger scope of things, I suppose.

    That said, while this allocation alone isn’t going to be the silver bullet every mass transit lover is looking for, it’s a solid first step. We received more funding than a lot of other corridors.

  • gd

    the trainride is better than driving as well.
    I have had friends ride the train down and ride back with me just to compare.

    The train is the way to go.

  • DPK

    @Jenna: Take the train is cheaper than driving a car for just $25.

Posted by Dana on January 28, 2010 | Tags: Transportation . | ( 6 ) Comments

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