(The following column by Scott Saylor appeared on the News-Record website on February 13. Mr. Saylor is president of North Carolina Railroad Co.)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Just a few weeks ago, Congress, for the first time in 32 years, increased vehicle fuel-economy standards.
Just a few weeks ago, in this city, residents voted overwhelmingly to keep in place a tax to help pay for improved mass transit.
And just a few weeks ago, the Association of American Railroads released a report that 2007 was the U.S. railroads’ second-best year ever for total volume and revenue — as oil hit $100 a barrel.
People and businesses in this country and North Carolina are beginning to think differently about our transportation future. Travel and shipping delays caused by crowded, dangerous highways, environmental pollution from exhausts and soaring energy costs are weighing on public opinion and the political process.
We are under no illusions that trains are going to replace highway construction. But traditional thinking will not meet future transportation needs, which are so important to North Carolina’s economy and jobs. The North Carolina Railroad can help.
We envision in 2020 a North Carolina Railroad with:
l double-tracking increased by 50 percent, mainly between Charlotte and Raleigh;
l freight shipments surpassing 2 million carloads (currently at 1.5 million);
l rush-hour commuter rail service linking the Piedmont, Triangle, Metrolina and eastern North Carolina;
l safer crossings and bridge overpasses that will save lives and time and remove highway bottlenecks;
l better performance for the trains we already have between Charlotte, Raleigh and on to the Northeast.
There is a real urgency to reach these goals. Four million people — or the equivalent of South Carolina’s entire population — will arrive by 2030. Highways can’t carry that entire load.
Today the North Carolina Railroad corridor is 317 miles long from Charlotte to the port of Morehead City. Each day approximately 70 freight trains, carrying 1.5 million freight cars annually, use the North Carolina Railroad’s corridor. Daily traffic also includes eight Amtrak trains.
Industries with 24 percent of the state’s economic output rely on the North Carolina Railroad. Virtually every major manufacturer looking to expand or locate in North Carolina evaluates our rail service as part of their decision making.
Within North Carolina, Norfolk Southern picks up or drops off 254,000 railcars of products along the North Carolina Railroad corridor. Those 254,000 railcars are the equivalent of 762,000 trucks on the state’s already badly congested highways. Removing the exhausts of those 762,000 trucks also helps in the fight for cleaner air.
Meanwhile, we are making the necessary investments to increase our capacity for freight and passenger service.
With our public and private partners, we are about halfway through a $160 million capital investment program in the corridor through 2012.
Since 2001, we have completely replaced old, lightweight rail with long “ribbons” of high quality seamless steel — called welded rail. That allows today’s bigger, heavier trains to operate smoothly and run faster.
We also have under way a $450,000 capacity study to determine whether commuter rail and freight might co-exist on the North Carolina Railroad. Until now, much of the attention has been on light rail. Commuter rail is different and would use the existing lines and run primarily in the morning and evening rush hours.
The commuter study area spans Greensboro to Goldsboro. The model can be extended to the southern Piedmont and Charlotte. There will be no need to purchase expensive additional right of way, but protecting what we have will be crucial as service expands.
We have straightforward, cost-effective plans than can help address transportation needs. We urge more investment in faster, safer and better rail service for businesses and for what will soon be the 12 million people of North Carolina.