The Federal Transit Authority has awarded the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division a $900,000 grant to help Triangle area communities create plans for development along the S-Line rail corridor.
The S-Line corridor is a passenger rail line that starts at the Virginia border, runs through Raleigh, and ends at the South Carolina state line.
“We’re grateful to be working with cities and towns that understand how passenger rail service can spur economic development,” said Julie White, NCDOT’s deputy secretary for Multimodal Transportation. “This as a great opportunity to use passenger rail to better connect rural and urban communities. It should serve as a model for future projects.”
The following towns contributed matching funds for the grant: Apex, Franklinton, Henderson, Raleigh, Sanford and Wake Forest. The towns will use the grant money to develop plans for the areas around the rail stations. The plans will explore how the rail stations will bolster economic development in their town centers and enable these communities to plan for connections to bus service, micro transit, bicycle paths and greenways.
Sanford Mayor Chet Mann said, “Sanford is thrilled with the prospect of having passenger rail on the S-Line. We have a rich train history as we were founded at the rail crossing in 1874 in what is now our Depot Park. We see multimodal transportation as a key component to any growing community. This project will usher in a new wave of economic development around an area in our town already designated for revitalization. We are grateful to be partnering with the NCDOT and all the other stakeholders involved in this project and we are beyond excited at watching what happens as this project evolves.”
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