S-Line Raleigh to Richmond (R2R)

Alignment

The S-Line is a CSX-owned freight corridor, once used by Seaboard Air Line passenger trains, that runs from Richmond, Virginia, toward Florida. The Raleigh to Richmond (R2R) project, led by NCDOT with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, would restore a direct passenger route on it between Raleigh Union Station and Richmond’s Main Street Station. The project covers 162 miles of track and 82 miles of road work. It runs north from Raleigh through Wake Forest, Franklin and Vance counties, Henderson, and Norlina, enters Virginia near La Crosse, and continues northeast to Petersburg before following existing tracks into Richmond. The line is designed for trains of up to 110 mph between Raleigh and Petersburg, compared with 60–79 mph passenger speeds today. Officials say it would cut more than an hour from the current Amtrak trip of about 3 hours 51 minutes, which goes the long way through Selma and Rocky Mount. Planned intermediate stops discussed so far include Wake Forest, Youngsville, and Henderson.

The first phase is an 18-mile segment from Raleigh to Wake Forest. NCDOT will buy this part of the corridor from CSX and build new passenger tracks, along with more than half a dozen grade separations that replace road crossings with bridges. At Raleigh Union Station, a second platform will be added along the S-Line, at-grade crossings at Jones and Hargett streets will be closed, and the Morgan Street bridge will be rebuilt. A 2020 federal grant is paying for North Carolina’s purchase of the corridor from Raleigh to Ridgeway, N.C., and Virginia bought the 75 miles between Petersburg and Ridgeway the same year.

Updates

2026-11 — Wake Forest bridge contract; Durant Road bridge nearly done

NCDOT hired Blythe Construction for $46.2 million to build a bridge carrying Rogers Road in Wake Forest over the S-Line. Work could begin as soon as November 30, with the bridge expected to open to traffic by fall 2030. The Durant Road bridge in north Raleigh was due to be finished by Thanksgiving, and the East Millbrook Road and New Hope Church Road bridges are also planned or underway.

2026-10 — FRA releases $550 million

The FRA released $550 million of the $1.1 billion pledged in 2023 and said the rest should follow “in due time” as more of the project comes together. North Carolina has invested about $200 million in the S-Line. NCDOT aims to extend Amtrak’s Piedmont service to Wake Forest by 2032.

2026-02 — New Hope Church Road bridge construction begins

Work began on a $22.7 million bridge to take New Hope Church Road in Raleigh over the railroad, which is expected to take about three years. At Durant Road, where work started in 2024, the embankments were complete and bridge construction was set to begin in summer 2026. Land acquisition and utility work were underway at Millbrook Road in Raleigh and Rogers Road in Wake Forest. NCDOT also received FRA approval to proceed with a $58 million design engineering grant covering the full 162-mile corridor.

2024 — First construction contracts

NCDOT awarded construction contracts for the first grade separations on the Raleigh–Wake Forest segment, at Durant Road and New Hope Church Road in Raleigh.

2023-12 — $1.09 billion federal grant for Raleigh–Wake Forest

The FRA awarded a $1.09 billion Federal-State Partnership grant, funded by the 2021 infrastructure law, for final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of the Raleigh–Wake Forest section. It followed a $58 million CRISI grant in 2022 for survey work and preliminary engineering.

2020 — Corridor purchase funding

A $48 million federal CRISI grant was awarded for North Carolina’s purchase of the S-Line from Raleigh to Ridgeway, N.C. Virginia bought 75 miles of S-Line property between Petersburg and Ridgeway the same year.

2017 — Tier II Record of Decision

The Raleigh–Richmond project received its Tier II environmental Record of Decision.