RALEIGH – The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the N.C. Department of Transportation approximately $36 million as the state works to improve safety while reconnecting western North Carolina by rail.
The announcement of $35.8 million in federal funding is for the project’s development, final design and construction and includes activities to support the upgrade of more than 40-highway-rail crossing signal systems between Salisbury and Hickory. The project will enhance rail safety by replacing or upgrading existing crossing signal infrastructure and create safer crossings for vehicles and pedestrians.
NCDOT’s Rail Division is working with NC communities to provide rail service via NC By Train from Salisbury to Asheville. Rail service to western North Carolina stopped in 1975, but a 2025 study by the department confirmed that restoring passenger rail service for western North Carolina would benefit the economy, job opportunities, and public transit in the area and the state.
“We are thankful for our federal partners at FRA for the funding of a project that will improve safety and ultimately expand transportation solutions for the people of North Carolina,” State Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said. “These investments reflect the strength of our partnership and our state’s record of turning rail funding into progress.”
Once the western North Carolina rail corridor is complete, it will connect to the Charlotte region, Piedmont and Triangle.