Passenger rail service between Raleigh, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia currently requires approximately three hours 27 minutes travel time. In pursuit of high speed rail service for this corridor, the States of North Carolina and Virginia, in conjunction with Amtrak, commissioned TranSystems Corporation to conduct an engineering analysis of four prospective rail routes between Raleigh and Richmond. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the civil costs (i.e., track costs, signalization, and infrastructure improvements) to upgrade each route the most cost effective way while decreasing the travel time between these two cities. The study team (composed of representatives from North Carolina, Virginia and Amtrak) decided that the track speed evaluation criteria would be 95 mph average speed with maximum track speed at 110 mph.

The findings of the engineering evaluation are formally documented in a report completed in February 1997. The report has a review of track routes with recommended improvements and corresponding costs. The report also contains an analysis of the routes, supporting documents, and typical construction details used to estimate costs.

4.1 EVALUATION SUMMARY

The four routes between Richmond and Raleigh that were evaluated use existing railroad right-of-way either owned by CSX Transportation (CSX), Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), or the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) and are shown in Map 3. The four routes identified were:

• Route 1: Richmond-Centralia-Collier-Norlina-Raleigh (CSX S line), 161 miles
• Route 2: Richmond-Weldon-Norlina-Raleigh (Combination of CSX A and S lines via Roanoke Rapids), 178 miles
• Route 3: Richmond-Wilson-Raleigh (CSX A line to Wilson and NS line Wilson to Raleigh), 186 miles
• Route 4: Richmond-Selma-Raleigh (CSX A line to Selma and NCRR line Selma to Raleigh), 189 miles

Route 1 (CSX S line) has track from Raleigh to Norlina but the track has been removed from Norlina to Centralia, VA. The existing track is generally in poor shape, although much of the trackbed and bridges are in fair to good condition. The right-of-way has numerous curves that would require numerous realignments for high speed operation. This route is the shortest and would most likely have little freight traffic making the S line potentially a primary high speed passenger route without interference from slower freight trains.

Route 2 has varied curvature and trackbed conditions. Centralia to Weldon is in good to excellent condition; Weldon to Norlina has excessive curvature with much of the right-of-way having been encroached upon. The Condition from Norlina to Raleigh is the same as Route 1. Most of the route would require freight and passenger trains to share trackage or at least right-of-way.

Route 3 has track in generally poor condition and difficult geometry from Raleigh to Wilson. Most of the route would require passenger and freight trains to share trackage and right-of-way. Because of these conditions, this route was determined to be the least feasible alternative due to cost and was dropped from consideration early in the study.

Route 4 has track in good to excellent condition. It is also heavily used by freight and passenger on the A line portion of the route from Selma to Richmond. In order to avoid conflicts between high speed passenger and slower moving freight trains, the study assumed that the states would be required to purchase rights for placing additional passenger track in the CSX right-of-way. This is the route used currently by the Carolinian and Silver Star.

TranSystems objective was to determine and quantify the necessary improvements for the establishment of a 110 mph high speed rail corridor between Richmond and Raleigh with provisions for future service with speeds in excess of 125 mph. Planning assumptions are based on short term maximum speeds of 110 mph, alignment for future speeds in excess of 125 mph, use of standard rolling stock with three inches of unbalance and a route running time between Richmond and Raleigh of under two hours.

In consideration of the above, the following evaluation criteria were set forth. These criteria were used to make engineering judgments and determine required improvements to satisfy the goals and objectives of the SEHSR implementation plan:

• maximum track speed: 110 mph
• maximum track curvature: 0° 45. (where practical)
• super elevation: 6 inches
• unbalance elevation: 3 inches
• track standards: class 6 (Federally required for high speed rail)
• minimum clearances: 23 feet 6 inches vertically; 15 to 25 feet horizontally
• grade crossing protection: all public crossings gated or grade separated; all private crossings signalized with warning lights
• necessary and available right-of-way for high speed operations, including completely separated passenger trackage from freight where necessary

As stated above, preliminary evaluations eliminated Route 3 from consideration due to the high upgrade costs to high speed status. Further evaluation of the remaining three routes determined that Route 1 was the most cost effective route to upgrade to 95 mph average speed between Raleigh and Richmond since it had the shortest possible travel time and the lowest capital cost (see Table 4-1).⁷

4.2 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Based upon the above evaluation, TranSystems, Amtrak, NCDOT and the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation (VA DR&PT) have reached the following conclusions and findings.

High speed rail is feasible between Raleigh and Richmond. Any of the four routes could be improved to achieve a 95 mph average speed with peak speeds of 110 mph.

The S line is the fastest and most cost effective for upgrade. The old Seaboard line (S line) provides the shortest and most cost effective route to upgrade to high speed. The other routes were more expensive because they were longer, required more right-of-way or would require construction of additional track along an active railroad.

The S line could become part of a "dual corridor" for the Southeast. If the S line becomes a high speed line, freight railroads could use the line for high speed intermodal deliveries while preserving the A line for slower freight trains. This would increase the capacity of the overall transportation network and reduce the conflicts between high speed passenger trains and lower speed freight trains.

Passenger service for communities along the A line should be preserved. Some communities in eastern North Carolina currently served by Amtrak depend on these trains for long distance travel. An arrangement with CSX should be reached that would ensure that some continued passenger service on the A line when the S line is rebuilt.

In sum, TranSystems. evaluation shows that achieving the goal of high speed rail service between Raleigh and Richmond is feasible and that the S line is the best alternative for achieving this goal. NCDOT and VADR&PT intend to continue engineering studies on this route to better refine the infrastructure upgrades and costs necessary for high speed rail service.

The following page contains Table 4-2, which summarizes the capital costs for the Raleigh-Richmond route along the "S" line to 95 mph average speeds. The costs are divided into those improvements necessary for high speed operations, (called basic project cost), and those improvements beyond the basic scope of this engineering evaluation.

• NCDOT and VA DR&PT provided reports of previous studies and of select route segments.
• Track charts and right-of-way maps were obtained from all three operating railroads - CSX, NS, and NCRR.
• TranSystems conducted on site visits of each route. During these visits, TranSystems representatives visually surveyed and took photographs to document existing conditions.