S-Line Corridor

The S-Line is an under constructed railway corridor in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. The line will provide a more direct service between Richmond and Raleigh when completed. The line is estimated to have served 25 million people by 2040. The track speed will be upgraded to 110 mph from 79 mph.

History

The S-Line, seen in orange.

The line would first be proposed by the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad in 1882 to the Virginia General Assembly and would be granted a charter. The railroad would sell the charter to the city of Petersburg and would begin construction between Petersburg and Ridgeway Junction. In 1889, the Seaboard Air Line Railway would purchase the line and extend the line to Richmond. The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad would be completed by 1900 and would merge with other predecessors to form the Seaboard Air Line Railway. The line would become the northernmost section of the Seaboard Air Line main line between Richmond and Tampa.

In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line would merge with the Atlantic Coast Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. The Seaboard Air Line main line would be known as the S Line. The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad would decide the abandon the section of the main line between Centralia and Petersburg and would opt for consolidated operations on the former Atlantic Coast Railroad main line known as the A Line. The section from Raleigh to Norlina would be known as the Norlina Subdivision.

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad would merge with Chessie Systems to form CSX Transportation. In 1986, CSX Transportation would decide to abandon the section of the S-Line between Norlina and Petersburg. CSX Transportation would continue to own the abandoned right of way between Centralia and Norlina until 2019. In the 1990s, the federal government would designate five high speed corridors. The S-Line would be incorporated as a part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor.

Construction

The North Carolina Department of Transportation would complete the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation in 2015. The Federal Railroad Administration would issue a Record of Decision (ROD) in 2017. In 2020, North Carolina and Virginia would decide to purchase the entire abandoned right of way between Centralia and Norlina for $47.5M as a part of the 58M grant by the FRA Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.

In 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration would provide a $57.9M grant for a land survey and preliminary engineering from Raleigh to Richmond. In 2022, a $900K grant was provided for a transit-oriented development study near stations along the abandoned line by the FTA Transit Oriented Development. Also in 2022, the United States Department of Transportation would provide a $3.4M grant for transit centers along the line. In 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration would provide a $1.09B grant for the project, as a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The North Carolina Department of Transportation would provide another $1.09B grant.

The Federal Railroad Administration Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail would fund the design and construction for the initial segment of the S-Line, also known as the Norlina Subdivision. Stations would be built at Wake Forest, Henderson, and Norlina. The North Carolina Department of Transportation originally envisioned a start date between 2025 and 2029 for this initial phase. On July 1, 2024. Pete Buttigieg, former United States secretary of transportation along with several other state officials would participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of the project. Marking the start of the project.