The North Carolina Department of Transportation is receiving more than $35 million in federal funding for a future Western North Carolina rail service.
The funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation is for the project’s development, final design and construction. It’s also going toward upgrading highway-rail crossing signal systems between Salisbury and Hickory to improve safety.
The NCDOT is working with communities to provide rail service from Salisbury to Asheville — which ended in 1975. Transportation officials say a 2025 study found restoring passenger rail service for western North Carolina would benefit the economy, public transportation and create job opportunities…