To Friends of the North Carolina Railroad Company

In many ways, 2006 was a pivotal year for the North Carolina Railroad Company. It was the year we finished most of the projects on our first Capital Improvement Plan; one crafted in 2000 and put into motion in 2001. Most of the projects in that plan dealt with improvements that would bring the NCRR up to modern standards. We allocated funds to replace century-old bridges, to replace old rail with continuous welded rail and to signalize parts of the corridor. Having brought the railroad “up to speed,” this past year we will look ahead to projects that would allow more trains to operate on the railroad, in a safer corridor. We will look at ways to enhance community safety with pedestrian underpasses and develop a crossing improvement program.

The year was spent building relationships that will serve to strengthen the state’s entire transportation infrastructure. NCRR is partnering with Elon to build a pedestrian underpass, and 2006 saw planning begin for another one in Jamestown. The company helped Havelock relocate an old depot to a safer location off the rail corridor. The company began working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division (NCDOT) on a crossing improvement project to upgrade crossings from Raleigh eastward. In Morehead City, we completed a study to examine the feasibility of relocating 17 miles of track serving the Morehead City port.

As traffic on the NCRR increases, protecting the corridor for track and capacity expansion becomes more important than ever. There are hundreds of businesses that spill over the boundary lines and into the NCRR’s corridor that must be licensed and documented for safety purposes. The company spent much of the year issuing new licenses and renewing those that were out of date. In order to streamline the process, we developed a shorter license for most businesses and initiated a program to assist with insurance and liability expenses.

The NCRR Board of Directors and staff welcome 2007 with a commitment to complete more capital improvements. We solicit your questions or comments and assure you that we are looking ahead, analyzing priorities, and building a better railroad to serve the people of North Carolina.

William H. Kincheloe
Chairman of the Board of Directors
North Carolina Railroad Company

This message is taken from the North Carolina Railroad 2006 Annual Report