U.S. Department of Transportation awards $58M grant for Richmond-Raleigh rail corridor program
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $58 million grant to both the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and North Carolina Department of Transportation in support of the Raleigh to Richmond Corridor Infrastructure Engineering & Safety Program, officials announced recently.
The R2R program was made to improve the rail corridor and travel times between Raleigh and Richmond while also providing new service frequencies. The grant will provide funding for the engineering design and preliminary planning for 162 miles of the S-Line between the two cities. The Commonwealth of Virginia also is investing $3.7 billion to increase rail services in the state to give alternatives for transportation of citizens and goods through the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative.
“This is an exciting and historic collaboration between the Commonwealth of Virginia and North Carolina, solidifying a critical link in the Southeast Rail Corridor,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in the statement.
“USDOT’s investment is an incredible first step to connecting our capital cities to each other and to the rest of the East Coast.”
“This grant brings us one step closer to providing trains from Richmond to Raleigh that are competitive with the time that it takes to make the drive down I-85 and I-95,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III in a statement.
“This is a game-changing project that Virginia has already shown its commitment to through the purchase of 75 miles of the S-line.”
For details, visit VA Passenger Rail Authority | R2R Program.
