S Line Corridor
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Quick Facts

Currently in preliminary engineering for the Raleigh, NC to Petersburg, VA section of the corridor, and funded for final design and construction for section from Raleigh to Wake Forest, NC

  • Increased speeds up to 110 mph and 37% reduction in travel times between Richmond, VA and Raleigh, NC
  • Improved capacity and connections to Washington D.C. and the Northeast Corridor
  • New stations and communities served

2032

The below timelines are tentative based on information collected from the NCDOT Rail Division. The timelines will be updated as additional funding is secured.

Raleigh to Wake Forest Timeline:

  • Design Development: 2024 – 2025
  • Environmental Review: 2025
  • Final Design: 2025 – 2027
  • Right of Way Acquisitions: 2025 – 2028
  • Construction: 2027 – 2032

North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA), Amtrak, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

All funding has been led by NCDOT. Current funding awards include:

  • $47.5M FRA Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to purchase CSX Right of Way (ROW). Awarded in 2020.
  • $57.9M FRA CRISI grant to cover land surveying and preliminary engineering from Raleigh to Richmond. Awarded in 2021.
  • $1.09B FRA Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) grant for final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction activities for the southernmost segment of the S-Line from Raleigh to Wake Forest, NC. Awarded in 2023.

The S Line Program Corridor is a critical 162-mile portion of the federally-designated Southeast Rail Corridor. Amtrak is working with Virginia and North Carolina to better connect key southeastern cities to the Northeast Corridor (NEC). 

The scope of the S Line Program includes the incremental development, implementation, and operation of higher-speed rail passenger service in this segment, and improved connections from Charlotte to Washington, DC. The management of the S Line Program, including its design and construction, as well as the provision of necessary funding, is NCDOT’s responsibility, with Virginia and Amtrak serving as partners. Currently, Preliminary Engineering (PE), which began in 2022, is being conducted for the corridor from Raleigh, NC to Petersburg, VA. Following PE, this program will move on to final design and then onto to a suite of construction projects for the associated physical assets which will be phased by geographical segment. The first segmented phase stretches from Raleigh to Wake Forest, NC.

Improved passenger service along the S Line Program Corridor will support the significant recent and projected population growth in Virginia and North Carolina while addressing the existing and growing congestion of both roadways and air travel in the area. It will serve intercity business and leisure travelers between Virginia and North Carolina, as well as those accessing (and connecting to) the NEC, which extends from Washington, DC, to New York, NY, and Boston, MA, and allow patrons in the NEC area to reach destinations to the south. The S Line Program will provide increased service options to anchor stations in Richmond, Raleigh, and Charlotte, as well as the addition of several potential new stations in both North Carolina and Virginia.

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