Built more than 150 years ago, this 317-mile corridor opened up the state to settlement and growth. See “Then and Now” to read NCRR’s colorful history. Today, freight trains operated by Norfolk Southern carry products into and out of the state. Amtrak runs eight passenger trains, including the Piedmont and the Carolinian, along its corridor. There are plans for regional mass transit operations along NCRR’s rails in several North Carolina metropolitan areas.

High-speed rail transit is under consideration from the busy northeast corridor of the country to the booming southern metro regions of Charlotte and Atlanta. Although the NCRR corridor has great potential to increase both freight and passenger transit efficiency, much work needs to be done. In the last 5 years, $60 million worth of projects to improve the corridor were completed, but hundreds of millions will be needed to realize the potential of the railroad as a vital transportation artery that will benefit the people of North Carolina. Visit the Corridor Improvements page for more information about current and future projects.