Seaboard Fellow

Yes, Davis Yard is in Navassa. The W&W Subdivision produces a lot of revenue for CSX. NC is a national leader in the Pork Industry. The top 4 pork producing counties are Bladin, Sampson, Duplin, and Wayne. All of these counties are served by CSX https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/livestock/north-carolina-pork-industry-continues-be-economic-powerhouse. A majority of the feed is brought in via rail. The port of Wilmington is growing both through the wood pellets industry (Enviva) but also through intermodal. A majority of the major East Coast ports are “crowded” and Wilmington is handling some of the spill off. Here is an article covering the new Queen City Express which offers same day service between Wilmington and Charlotte. https://www.thestate.com/news/state/north-carolina/article231659388.html. Strategically I don’t believe any railroad (or any company for that matter) would give up its competitive advantage. Morehead City won’t open up to CSX either.

NCDOT only owns the abandoned portion of the W&W subdivision from Wallace to Castle Hayne. They do not own or have any trackage rights in Wilmington or to the north of Wallace. This proposal for a new Cape Fear crossing will be interesting to watch. NCDOT is funding major upgrades to the Wilmington Belt Line to improve intermodal service between Charlotte and Wilmington. The tracks between Davis Yard and the Port are being upgraded to Class 2 standards this year.

NCDOT does not care about I-77 (Kanye voice).

I’m excited about commuter rail being a former Alamance County resident. Many people in Alamance County especially those living in Graham and Mebane commute to Durham and Chapel Hill. Any option that’s pursued should include Mebane. A station in downtown Mebane would be preferable, however to maximize riders a large park-n-ride station needs to be placed in the vicinity of I-85 exit 156. If Mebane isn’t an option, I don’t see much of a reason to extend the line beyond Durham. Hillsborough will not generate nearly as much ridership as Mebane. A Hillsborough Station won’t provide any great park n ride opportunities and the historic district will limit any significant TOD.

I agree 100%. Local politicians are already lobbying for US 421/NC87 to be upgraded to an interstate between Greensboro and Fayetteville. This undertaking would be easier than many of NC’s other new interstate projects.

Hopefully Duke won’t get in the way of this opportunity [Joke]

Oddly enough, it fits right in with the rest of the hotels in Burlington.

Securing the ROW now prior to the inevitable growth of western Gaston and Cleveland Counties is important. I hope this shortcut is recognized by Charlotte region transportation planners.

I was thinking the same thing. This interchange may end up staying sub standard for the foreseeable future.

I have to agree with you. BRT will be a superior travel mode on the Red Line corridor. The only way I believe rail becomes viable to Mount Mourne is if it’s combined with rail service to Rock Hill as regional rail.

The FRA has requested that electrification not be precluded by asking all that new overhead bridges be at least 24’3” in vertical clearance along the future Southeast Corridor.

Done deal as far as VA is concerned. NCDOT will now pursue final negotiations for the S-Line. In terms of speed, 79mph is the goal for now. I could see the non-CSX maintained portions between Norlina and Petersburg possibly reaching 90mph. Raleigh commuter rail will be a part of the negotiations as well. Raleigh Union Station was designed with future S-Line service in mind, and NCDOT is actively grade separating every busy at-grade crossing along the S-Line in Wake County that’s feasible. The future is bright.

That 225 miles of track includes the east-west Buckingham Branch line from Doswell to Clifton Forge, Va.

You are correct in your assumption. There are plans to complete construction of the remaining portions of third main between DC and Fredericksburg. Fourth track construction will happen in conjunction with the construction of the new Long Bridge between Union Station and Alexandria. Additional main and siding tracks will be built incrementally between a Richmond and Fredericksburg.

*Major* announcement coming tomorrow regarding rail transportation in Virginia. This announcement will have a major impact on rail transportation in NC.

I’d love to see a Silver Line spur via Albemarle to this site.

I’ll add San Marco to that list as well.

I agree I-540 will not provide traffic relief on I-40 directly simply because any traffic reduction will be replaced by commuters that avoid I-40 today. I-540 will provide something very valuable to Southeast Wake/Johnston County commuters that I-40 cannot provide, guaranteed travel times of approximately 30 minutes. During rush hour, I-540 will be also be attractive to thru traffic motorists including truckers. Hopefully NCDOT will position signs on Future I-42 and I-40 at least 5-10 miles out to give drivers enough time to make a decision. I’ve noticed during my travels through NC that NCDOT’s signage oftentimes does not provide adequate time for motorist to make a decision when approaching alternate routes.

This can only be possible with an extension of the light rail to this area.

I concur a spur along Albemarle Rd that terminated at Eastland and later at I-485 would be a great investment in transportation infrastructure in East Charlotte. Eastland would be a prime spot for TOD with connections to the Silver Line spur and Gold Line. Especially if both lines were buried at Eastland to maximize development potential.

I hate Greensboro’s Interstate signage. It’s very confusion for out of town motorists.

Thanks for sharing that. Being from the small town of Graham I can confirm that Labcorp and Honda are the heart and soul of the Alamance County economy. Unfortunately there are no longer any suitable sites for an Auto manufacturing plant in Alamance County due to residential and commercial development. I would love to see an Auto manufacturing plant such as Honda come to the Triad. Locally, people still talk about that Mercedes Benz plant that passed over Mebane in the early 90s.

That is a well put together video. I work with the Town often, and I can confirm that they really have their act together.

Charlotte, N.C - “Center of the known Charlotte Universe”

LRT to Rock Hill continues to gain steam. Here’s a recent article from The Herald https://amp.heraldonline.com/news/local/article235625612.html @kermit has made an excellent point multiple times on this matter. Regional Rail is the only viable rail option to Rock Hill. Regional rail (all day bi-directional service including weekends) would provide York County with excellent TOD opportunities especially in downtown Rock Hill. I-485, Tyvola, and the area around the Old Steele Creek Road overpass in West Charlotte would provide excellent LYNX connections.