$1B will build high-speed rail between Raleigh and Wake Forest
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The Biden administration announced Friday $8.2 billion in new funding for high-speed rail and other projects nationwide.
- That includes about $1.1 billion for new and upgraded tracks between Raleigh and Wake Forest for the S-Line rail corridor — a Raleigh-to-Richmond high speed passenger rail.
Why it matters: It's the largest grant the North Carolina Department of Transportation has ever received, the Cooper administration said Friday. It will better connect the South to the Northeast and contribute to freight and supply chain resiliency.
The big picture: Rail travel is considered a relatively clean way to get lots of people from A to B, especially compared to aviation — but the U.S. rail network is sorely lagging behind that of peer nations in Europe and Asia, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.
- The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law has been a massive part of President Biden's domestic agenda. It will all together include a $66 investment in passenger rail — the largest since Amtrak's creation 50 years ago, the administration says.
Zoom in: North Carolina leaders have highlighted that the S-Line, when complete, will better connect urban and rural communities, serve as a cheap and convenient mode of travel and "further community efforts to grow vibrant main streets."
- The rail will save travelers 90 minutes of time traveling between Raleigh and Richmond and help make train trips to D.C. competitive with driving times, the Biden administration said.
- A high-speed rail generally operates faster than 125 miles per hour, per the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
What they're saying: "We are grateful to our federal partners who recognize the importance of transportation to our quality of life and getting people better access to jobs, health care and educational opportunities," state transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said in a release.
- "We envision a future with modern, efficient and sustainable passenger rail providing reliable and comfortable travel between North Carolina and the Northeast."
Zoom out: The federal government will also grant North Carolina $3.5 million in Corridor Identification and Development program grants, which will go toward planning and development on rail corridors between the following cities:
- Charlotte and Atlanta
- Charlotte and Kings Mountain
- Charlotte and Washington D.C.
- Fayetteville and Raleigh
- Wilmington and Raleigh
- Winston-Salem and Raleigh
- Salisbury and Asheville