North Carolina Railroad
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
standard gauge | |
Previous gauge | 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) |
---|---|
Length | 317 miles (510 km) |
Other | |
Website | ncrr |
The North Carolina Railroad (reporting mark NCRR) is a 317-mile (510 km) state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger trains (Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont) daily. The railroad works with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Department of Transportation on capital improvement projects.
History
In 1848 the North Carolina legislature authorized a railroad that would connect the eastern part of the state with the Piedmont. North Carolina Senate President Calvin Graves cast the deciding vote, ensuring that the railroad would be built, but ending his political career because it would not pass through his district. The North Carolina Railroad was incorporated January 27, 1849, by special act of the North Carolina legislature.[1]
In 1851 Senator Graves was given the honor of lifting the first shovel of dirt as construction of the railroad began in Greensboro, North Carolina. Three years later, in 1854, the railroad's first president, businessman John Motley Morehead, dubbed the rail line "the tree of life" for the state.[2]
Approximately 130 miles of the 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)-gauge[3] railroad between Greensboro and Goldsboro, North Carolina, was opened for operation on December 13, 1855.[1] Approximately 94 miles of the railroad between Greensboro and Charlotte was opened for operation on January 30, 1856.[1] In early 1856 the first train traveled along the entire route, from Goldsboro to Charlotte.
In 1858 the
The North Carolina Railroad was leased to the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company and its receiver from September 11, 1871, to June 30, 1894.[1]
From July 1, 1894, the North Carolina Railroad was leased to the R&D's successor, the
In 1929, Governor
One year prior to the establishment of the new lease with Norfolk Southern, in 1998, the State of North Carolina agreed to buy out the remaining 25% private shares of NCRR stock. While the NCRR is still nominally a private company, all of the voting stock is held by the state.
In 2000, the North Carolina legislature established by statute that North Carolina Railroad Company dividends paid to the State were required to be used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for improvements to the NCRR line. At that time, NCRR was a real estate investment trust. In 2013, the legislature rewrote this statute to provide that the dividends of the North Carolina Railroad Company received by the NCDOT may be used by NCDOT for the purposes set forth in the statute.
NCRR Today
Recently, the North Carolina Railroad Company added three new
Since 2008, the North Carolina Railroad Company has been working with the
The North Carolina Railroad was instrumental in encouraging the economic development of North Carolina in the 19th century, helping to define new markets, new industries, and new cities. Today NCRR continues to contribute to the state’s economy. The North Carolina Railroad carries over one million carloads of freight each year and about 300,000 passengers. Based on a 2007 study by the
See also
Footnotes
References
- Interstate Commerce Commission. Southern Ry. Co., Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 437. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. OCLC 297351688.
- NCRR Website
- Research Triangle Institute Study, September 2014