Come join us for ...

Progress in Motion: 2030
Exploring the potential of North Carolina's
freight and passenger rail assets
Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
McKimmon Center, Raleigh NC
Speakers will include: Former Governor James B. Hunt,
N.C. Secretary of Transportation Eugene A. Conti, Jr.,
Former Norfolk Southern Senior Vice President Jim McClellan,
economic developers, business leaders, and rail companies

Cost for the forum is $30, which includes lunch.
For more information or to register contact
raillines@ncrr.com, call 919-954-7601,
or visit www.ncrr.com.

In the News…

Stimulus package contains billions for rail
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will invest billions in rail projects. Amtrak is to receive $850 million for capital and $450 million for security. High speed and intercity passenger rail will receive $8 billion. These funds will be distributed through the USDOT Secretary and the Federal Railroad Administration. The Federal Transit Administration is to distribute $8.4 billion for transit, both rail and bus. Freight rail is to receive $1.5 billion in new discretionary grants for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and $27.5 billion in highway formula spending that can be flexed to rail. Each state may flex any amount of this funding for passenger and freight rail transportation and eligible port infrastructure projects
Railway Age, "Stimulus '09: What's in it for rail " 13 February 2009.

U.S. ports' container volume continues to decline
Last year cargo volume at the United States major container ports fell to the lowest level since 2004. During the first 6 months of 2009 those numbers are expected to continue to decline. Volume for the first half of 2009 is expected to be 11.8% lower than the first half of 2008. The container traffic has been weakened by the reduction in demand due to the global recession.
Progressive Railroading, "U.S. ports' container volume will dial down in first half, report says" 9 February 2009.

CSX plans National Gateway
In May 2008, CSX announced their National Gateway project, a double-stack train route through Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and three mid-Atlantic ports with Midwestern markets. The project was proposed as a public-private partnership and calls for upgrading track, bridges, and tunnels, as well as expanding and constructing several intermodal terminals. CSX anticipates that the project will take 7 years and cost $724 million. Half of the cost would be funded by CSX, but CSX hopes the other half will be funded by the six states through which the National Gateway will run and the federal government. As CSX solicits support it reminds state and federal leaders that a train can move a ton of freight 423 miles on one gallon of fuel and carry the same amount as 280 trucks.
Progressive Railroading, "CSX wagers on a public-private partnership to place the double-stack National Gateway in the intermodal win column" 12 January 2009.

Train accidents down, trespasser fatalities up in 2008
The Federal Railroad Administration recently reported that there were 2,001 train accidents in the first 10 months of 2008, which was down 11% from the same period in 2007 and down 27.3% from the 2,754 accidents reported in the corresponding period in 2005. Rail-highway crossing fatalities in the January-October 2008 period were down 17.7% from the prior year and 17.4% from 2005. Trespasser fatalities were up 5.6% from 2007 and up 4.5% from 2005.
Railway Age, "Train accidents down 27% in four years" 7 January 2009.

Working on the Railroad

Thomas J. Campanella is an associate professor of urban design and planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a PhD from MIT and a master's degree in landscape architecture from Cornell University. While his expertise is in the historical development of the American landscape and in the explosive growth of Chinese cities (topics on which he has written several award-winning books), he has always had a love for railroads.

One of his fondest childhood memories growing up in Brooklyn, NY was setting up the Lionel trains with his dad before Christmas. Creating a miniature town laced with tracks and trains helped point him toward a career in landscape architecture and urban design. Today he lives in a town not unlike the one from his childhood train set. He and his wife live in a 200 year old home they restored in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He also now chairs the Hillsborough Rail Station Task Force. Hillsborough has not had a passenger train station in many decades and would like to become a stop on Amtrak's route through North Carolina. Dr. Campanella's involvement in the Task Force focuses on smart planning and sustainability for the town. A train station would not only provide easier access for residents to the existing Amtrak service, but would also provide a potential connection to any future commuter rail service in the region.

In January, Dr. Campanella, along with two other Task Force members, Margaret Hauth and Paul Guthrie, joined NCRR officials on a hyrail trip to assess the potential station sites. Engineering and track design are important factors in the placement of a station along a railroad. The information gathered on the trip will help the Task Force in determining the location of the proposed new station. (In the photo above: Jim Kessler (HNTB), Paul Guthrie, Tom Campanella, Mark Bauman (Norfolk Southern), Margaret Hauth, and Kat Christian (NCRR).)

Did you know ...

NCRR celebrates 160th Anniversary

In 1848 the North Carolina legislature authorized a railroad that would connect the eastern part of the state with the piedmont. Between 1849 and 1856 private individuals invested $5 million to build the railroad. The State held 75% of the common stock and private investors held 25%.  The North Carolina Railroad Company operated the line until 1871. 

In 1871, the North Carolina Railroad Company decided to lease the line to the Richmond and Danville Railroad.  As that lease ended, the North Carolina Railroad was leased to Southern Railway (present day Norfolk Southern) for 99 years, beginning in 1896. In 1989 the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad merged into the NCRR, resulting in a consolidated corridor from Morehead City to Charlotte.  In 1998, the State of North Carolina agreed to buy out the remaining private shares of NCRR stock and completed the transaction, making the North Carolina Railroad Company a privately run company, fully owned by the state.

In 1999, the North Carolina Railroad Company and Norfolk Southern reached an exclusive Trackage Rights agreement for Norfolk Southern’s continuing freight and maintenance operations on the NCRR line.  The agreement is for a period of 15 years and is renewable for an additional thirty years.

Today, the North Carolina Railroad Company manages, improves, and protects the corridor in a manner that enhances passenger and freight service and promotes economic development. 

To learn more about the North Carolina Railroad Company and its 160 year history, please visit www.ncrr.com.

Published by the North Carolina Railroad Company Volume 3, Issue 1
Comments or questions? Call Catherine Campbell or Kat Christian at (919) 954-7601 or e-mail: raillines@ncrr.com

2809 Highwoods Blvd. Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27604

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