The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded approximately $12 million in grant funds to improve the infrastructure of multiple short line railroads across the state. A total of $4,905,232 in funds will go towards improving railroads located within GFBJ’s coverage area. 

The matching grants come from the department’s Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Program. The program was established in 2013 by the N.C. General Assembly and supports rail infrastructure health, safety, and performance throughout the state, enabling NCDOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to effectively move freights. 

This partnership helps railroads efficiently meet customer needs in cost-effective ways, while preparing them for growing service demands and partnerships with new businesses and industries. 

The awarded grants are matched with railroad investments to contribute approximately $24 million in rail infrastructure improvements statewide. Together, these projects will support improvements to 52 railroad bridges and nearly 123 miles of railroad track in North Carolina. 

Railroads in GFBJ’s coverage area benefiting from these grants include: 

• Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway: $3,563,324 for bridge improvements, siding construction, and track upgrades on the mainline corridor (Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, and Stanly counties)
• Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad: $536,908 for track upgrades on the mainline corridor (Moore County)
• Raleigh and Fayetteville Railroad: $805,000 for bridge improvements and track upgrades on the Fayetteville Subdivision (Cumberland, Harnett, and Wake counties)