Big Year for Economic Development in 2007 . . . .
Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Company. . . .
The big news from the Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad this year is that North Carolina's first corn ethanol plant broke ground east of Raeford (Hoke County) on Tuesday, December 4th. The 60 million gallon a year plant will use corn grown locally and imported into North Carolina from the mid-west. The Distillers grains produced from the ethanol operation will probably be used in the local hog and poultry industry in North Carolina. The plant, which is located on the Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad, in the Hoke County Industrial Park, is now the largest rail served certified industrial site in North Carolina. For more information about the Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad visit: http://www.aberdeen-rockfish.com/
Alexander Railroad . . . .
In 2007 the Alexander Railroad, a short line which operates 18.5 miles between Statesville and Taylorsville, moved 3,500 carloads of frieght for customers in Iredell and Alexander counties. The Alexander Railroad also invested in several improvements, including the upgrade of over 2.5 miles of main track to 286K standard, installation of new signals at five railroad-highway grade crossings (NCDOT Rail Division projects), and construction of a new passing track at Alexander Industrial Park in Taylorsville (NCDOT Rail Division Short Line Infrastructure Assistance Program project).
Carolina Coastal Railway . . . .
Carolina Coastal Railway's biggest news of 2007 was the start-up of operations over the leased Norfolk Southern line from Plymouth to Raleigh. When added to the existing CLNA Pinetown-Belhaven line, CLNA now operates over 159 route miles. As part of this new operation, CLNA, using a matching NCDOT grant, restored service to the portion of the new line between Wendell and Raleigh that had not seen train operations since 2004. The first CLNA revenue train operated over this segment on November 29. For more information about CLNA visit: http://www.mlrail.com/CLNA.htm.
CSX Transportation . . . .
For CSX a major highlight of 2007 in North Carolina occured in February when CSX Intermodal announced plans to spend nearly $8 Million to expand its Charlotte terminal. With the expansions, CSXI is responding to the needs of the Charlotte business community and the State of North Carolina for increased intermodal capacity in the Charlotte market. Intermodal moves consumer goods in containers and trailers that travel by a variety of transportation modes, including trains, trucks and marine vessels. One intermodal train removes approximately 200 trucks from the nation's increasingly congested highways. To learn more about the CSX upgrade of the Charlotte terminal visit http://www.csx.com/?fuseaction=media.news_detail&i=48964.
Norfolk Southern . . . .
A major highlight of 2007 for Norfolk Southern in North Carolina was their involvement in a project to acquire a Force Protection, Inc manufacturing facility in Person County. Force Protection, Inc, a South Carolina company, makes mine- and blast-protected vehicles for the armed forces. Force Protection plans to use the Person County facility for additional capacity for current and future products, including its new “Cheetah” vehicle line. This vehicle combines state-of-the-art, anti-blast protection with the speed and handling of a lightweight utility vehicle. Partners who helped make this project possible include: One North Carolina Fund and Job Development Investment Grant awards, the N.C. Department of Commerce, Person County, Piedmont Community College, N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, Research Triangle Regional Partnership, Progress Energy and Norfolk Southern. The facility will be an important rail shipper in the state. To learn more visit: http://www.nccommerce.com/en/PressRoom/PressReleases.
Amtrak . . . .
2007 was a good year for Amtrak, especially with regards to overall increased ridership. The Carolinian, the Silver Star, the Silver Meteor, and the Crescent, Amtrak routes which travel through North Carolina, all saw ridership increases in 2007. Ridership on the Carolinian was up 5.2% over 2006, the Silver Star was up 5.7%, the Silver Meteor was up 6.9%, and the Crescent was up 4.4%. Nationwide, state-supported routes were up 9.6% over 2006. Amtrak hopes 2008 will continue to produce positive numbers, as individuals continue to decide to go by train! For more information about Amtrak in North Carolina visit www.bytrain.org.
North Carolina Railroad Company . . . .
The North Carolina Railroad added three new passing sidings and signalization east of Raleigh. NCRR also produced a Public Service Announcement with NASCAR driver Casey Mears, in support of a crossing safety improvement campaign by NCDOT, NS, and NCRR. Also, NCRR, NCDOT, and NS began work this year on the addtion of double track between Greensboro and High Point. NCRR intiiated two studies in 2007: the Shared Corridor Track Expansion Study, to be complete next June, and the Economic Impact Study, which illustrates the importance of the North Carolina Railroad to North Carolina's economy. To read the results of the study, which was completed in May, visit http://www.ncrr.com/ncrr-economic.html.
Working on the Railroad
As Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Jeff Mann brings over ten years of railroad experience to Amtrak, where he oversees east coast state supported services and the development of emerging markets outside of the Northeast Corridor. Jeff has also served as Sr. Director, State Contracts, Director of Corridor Strategy, Director of Route Profitability and Manager of Business Operations.
Prior to joining Amtrak Jeff worked as Property and Public Affairs Manager with the North Carolina Railroad Company and as a Transportation Consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick, where he conducted market and operations analysis of potential high-speed rail corridors.
Jeff holds an MBA from Wake Forest University and an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He currently serves as Chairman of the Raleigh Transit Authority and has formerly served as a board member for the UNC-Wilmington Alumni Association, the Neuse River Foundation, and North Carolina Operation Lifesaver.
Under Jeff’s leadership from 2005 to 2007, Amtrak’s state-supported services added almost 20 new daily roundtrips and now account for approximately 47 percent of Amtrak’s average weekday departures, with combined contract payments and passenger revenue of over $300 million annually.
Did you know?
Kat Christian receives Media Award from NC Operation Lifesaver
Kat Christian, Public Affairs Director for the North Carolina Railroad, has been presented the 2007 Media Award For Excellent Photographic and Journalistic Works to emphasize the mission of N. C. Operation Lifesaver. Vivian Speight Bridges, Executive Director of NCOL, presented Kat with the award in December in honor of her project to produce the railroad crossing safety public service announcement featuring NASCAR driver Casey Mears, who donated his time. The public service announcement ran on both television and radio across North Carolina this Fall. Congratulations Kat!
Cabarrus Street crossing in Raleigh is now safer, smoother
A remote-controlled interlocking was recently contructed just East of Cabarrus Street in Raleigh. The new interlocking will allow train operators to operate the switch remotely, without having to physically go out and throw a switch on the tracks.
The creation of a remote switch improves safety and efficiency for current freight and passenger operations and is important for any potential future commuter rail operation. It will permit train speeds to increase from 10 mph to 20 mph, reducing the time freight trains occupy the Main track. In addtion, the project reduces the number of tracks through the Cabarrus Street crossing from six to three, making the crossing safer for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The interlocking cost about $1.2 million and was funded by the North Carolina Railroad Company, with engineering and design by NCDOT.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM RAIL LINES!
Published by the North Carolina Railroad Company Volume 1, Issue 6 
Comments or questions? Catherine Campbell or Kat Christian (919) 954-7601 e-mail: raillines@ncrr.com
2809 Highwoods Blvd. Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27604