Small Steps, Great Gains

The article reviews the work of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) along with its partners, the North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR), Norfolk Southern (NS), and CSX. More than a decade ago, NCDOT set out to make passenger rail service a more competitive transportation alternative. Meeting the goal was only possible if train speeds could be increased, travel time substantially reduced, and the reliability of its 173 mile corridor improved considerably. The group, led by NCDOT, formed the North Carolina Railroad Improvement Project (NCRRIP) to make incremental improvements that have resulted in the most substantial travel time savings at the lowest cost and in timely manner. Among the initial improvements has been a centralized traffic control system with wayside signals on the 73 mile Greensboro to Cary line; interlocking improvements have been completed at busy rail junctions identified by the NCRRIP team; and passenger trains that used to crawl through junctions now move at 70 mph. To date, NCDOT has spent more than $39 million on a series of projects that have trimmed 30 minutes from the passenger service between Raleigh and Charlotte. All of these projects have built NCDOT's track record.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586268
• Authors:
  • Worley, Paul
• Publication Date: 2005-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Pagination: pp 27-28
• Serial:
  • Railway Age
  • Volume: 206
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation
  • ISSN: 0033-8826
  • Serial URL: http://www.railwayage.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight and passenger services; Freight transportation; Improvements; Railroad transportation; Travel time
• Identifier Terms: Norfolk Southern Corporation; North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Passenger rail services
• Geographic Terms: North Carolina
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01002671
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 1 2005 8:04AM