(The Salisbury Post published the following article by Mark Wineka on its website on July 18.)
SALISBURY, N.C. — When the first freight train blew its whistle and rumbled by the Salisbury Station, it interrupted the lunch crowd inside.
The reaction? A round of applause.
Rail interests in eastern and western North Carolina came together in Salisbury Wednesday and decided they must unite in one voice if they ever expect to see their dreams of new passenger routes from Salisbury to Asheville and Wilmington to Raleigh fulfilled.
It was the first joint meeting of parties who, until Wednesday, have been competing for the attention of N.C. legislators. The money-strapped General Assembly holds key purse strings if the passenger routes are ever fully funded.
After a two-hour meeting, the participants decided to draft a resolution supporting an expanded “rail system” in North Carolina in which all new passenger routes would be promoted, along with an emphasis on what improved rail lines could mean to jobs and economic development in the state.
Freight rail initiatives should be part of the emphasis, the participants said, stressing that freight carriers such as Norfolk Southern and CSX are not the adversaries to passenger rail that they are sometimes portrayed to be.
In eastern North Carolina, a competition has been brewing between two proposed passenger routes from Wilmington to Raleigh. One goes through Fayetteville and skips Goldsboro. It has 10 stops.
The other goes through Goldsboro and skips Fayetteville. It would have 19 stops.
The state Rail Division continues studies that eventually will recommend one Wilmington-to-Raleigh route over the other. Luncheon participants said Wednesday that no matter which of the eastern routes is favored, the passenger rail interests should immediately go to work for the one left out.
“We need all of it,” said Judy Calvert, chairperson of the Western North Carolina Rail Corridor Committee, “and we aim to get all of it.”
The group hopes its resolution will gain significant support from communities throughout the state. That resolution will then be presented to the N.C. Board of Transportation and the General Assembly.
Calvert, an Asheville businesswoman and member of the N.C. Rail Advisory Council, described the luncheon as an important day for passenger rail service in North Carolina. Currently, the only Amtrak passenger trains in North Carolina run north and south through the Piedmont and include stops in Salisbury.
Economic development, Chamber of Commerce, Pembroke University and Rail Division representatives attended Wednesday’s meeting, along with municipal officials, city planners and engineers, downtown development managers and rail company executives.
Cities represented included Salisbury, Statesville, Morganton, Valdese, Black Mountain, Marion, Asheville, Fayetteville and Goldsboro.
Mayor Susan Kluttz, Mayor Pro Tem Paul Woodson, Councilmen Bill Burgin and William “Pete” Kennedy, City Manager David Treme, Planning and Community Development Manager Joe Morris and Land Management and Development Director Dan Mikkelson represented Salisbury.
The Western N.C. Rail Corridor Committee endorses passenger rail service between Salisbury and Asheville, which would include stops in Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Valdese, Marion, Old Fort and Black Mountain.
This western passenger train effort and state Rail Division studies supporting it are further along than the eastern north Carolina initiatives. But any expansion of passenger rail service in North Carolina faces serious funding questions.
For the western route, for example, huge expenditures loom for property acquisitions and new depot construction in Asheville and Valdese and station renovations at the other stops.
Other costs would include track improvements, the purchase and refurbishing of locomotives and rail cars, construction of a maintenance facility at Spencer Shops and a service facility in Asheville, the building of station platforms, recruiting and training of crews and annual operating costs.
Costs have been estimated at roughly $1 million a mile for the 139-mile route.
Supporters have said the payback will come through increased tourism, economic development and downtown revitalizations, an alternative form of transportation and the linking of western North Carolina residents to the whole eastern seaboard.
In 2001, the Rail Division estimated annual ridership at anywhere from 8,900 to 13,400 passengers.
David Bender, speaking for the N.C. Rail Division Wednesday, said groundbreaking ceremonies are planned for station renovations in Morganton, Old Fort and Marion Aug. 15. Meanwhile, the state is looking at right of way and property acquisitions for new depots in Asheville and Valdese.
The preferred Asheville site would tie in with Biltmore Village. Asheville is the most requested destination in the country not served by Amtrak.
Passenger train service to western North Carolina ended in 1975.
Kluttz said Salisbury enthusiastically supports rail initiatives throughout North Carolina and the rest of the country. She described for the group how a private-public partnership in restoring Salisbury’s depot served as a catalyst for the adaptive reuse of 12 buildings and three infill projects in the general area of the train station.
This downtown area has seen $18.5 million in investment since 1991, she said.
The Norfolk Southern and CSX representatives attending Wednesday’s luncheon encouraged the passenger rail enthusiasts to negotiate with the freight carriers as one of their first orders of business. They said issues for the rail companies, when it comes to making room for passenger trains, include safety, capacity, compensation and liability.
Mark Sullivan, a member of the N.C. Rail Advisory Council, said the federal government will have to lead the way in funding new passenger service, with the state participating through matching money. But he emphasized that passenger rail supporters must talk about one system, not just their preferred routes.
“Remember,” Calvert agreed, “we’re talking about a rail system for North Carolina.”