$1B grant announced for passenger rail line from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia

RALEIGH, N.C. — Sen. Thom Tillis announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation approved funding for a new passenger rail.

The $1 billion grant is for a new passenger rail connecting Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia.

“This $1 billion grant for North Carolina to make progress on the Raleigh to Richmond Rail Line is a big win for economic development in the region,” Sen Tillis said in a statement.

The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November 2021, which Tillis supported.

Tillis said the route is part of the Southeast Corridor and will operate along the CSX Transportation “S-Line.”

The project aims to better connect the Tar Heel state to Virginia, Washington D.C., and the Northeast Corridor. In addition to providing passenger rails, Tillis said the rail would make the freight and supply chain in the Southeast more resilient.

Tillis also said another $3.5 million will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to study seven more rail lines, three of which would originate in Charlotte. Those are listed below:

• Charlotte to Washington D.C. Corridor
• Charlotte to Atlanta Corridor
• Charlotte to Kings Mountain Corridor
• Winston-Salem to Raleigh Corridor
• Fayetteville to Raleigh Corridor
• Wilmington to Raleigh Corridor
• Asheville to Salisbury Corridor

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