PASSENGER RAIL
Passenger rail services provide a reliable, comfortable and efficient way to travel between cities and regions. It connects people to major destinations for work, school or leisure, reducing the need for long-distance car travel. As demand for regional connectivity grows, investing in passenger rail helps support economic development, environmental sustainability and expanded access to opportunity.
Revitalizing the passenger rail network has become a growing priority in North Carolina. As interest in intercity rail continues to rise nationwide, the state is seeing record-breaking ridership. Train ridership has increased steadily since 2020, reaching a record high of nearly 740,000 passengers in 2025.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation was awarded Corridor Identification and Development (CID) funding to explore several rail corridors for new or expanded passenger service in the region.
These grants will help shape the next phase, developing a Service Development Plan (SDP). The SDP will include detailed discussions on passenger rail operations, benefits and costs. It will also study freight railroad coordination.
CID program success will require ongoing collaboration between metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and rail authorities as they work to support and participate in the SDP process.
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