Western North Carolina residents, officials gather to discuss railroads' future

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WNC residents, officials gather to discuss railroads’ future
Posted on October 7, 2017 by Max Hunt



FOR THE LONG HAUL: Amid myriad changes in the railroad industry, rail representatives from across the spectrum gathered with government officials and economic boosters to discuss the current state of the industry and the potential for railroads to play a key role in WNC's future growth. Photo by Hunter Richardson; courtesy of Blue Ridge Southern

Even the mightiest institutions must reinvent themselves in the face of new economic realities. That’s the situation for Western North Carolina’s railroad industry, which finds itself on the fast track to major changes as demand for industry mainstays like coal diminishes.

While major carriers such as Norfolk Southern and CSX reconfigure their regional infrastructure in response to changes in cargo, locally based rail companies are on the rise in WNC. At the same time, efforts to re-establish regular passenger rail service to the Asheville area continue.

Amid these trends, community and business representatives from across the rail industry gathered in Asheville on Sept. 22 for the Railroads & Regional Economic Development Conference. Organized by the WNC Rail Committee, the conference revealed some hints of how railroads may adapt to changing times.

Whistle stops

Over the past two years, both CSX and Norfolk Southern — the region’s two largest railroad operators — downgraded their major lines through WNC to secondary status, citing a need to cut costs. ... “Basically, it went from about one {train} an hour that came through Marion, to one a day,” says Freddie Killough, co-chair of the WNC Rail Committee. “That was the writing on the wall.”