Roanoke Rapids City Council Tuesday unanimously supported a resolution for the Weldon to Raleigh passenger rail corridor.

Roanoke Rapids City Manager Kelly Traynham said following Tuesday’s meeting that renewed interest in the Weldon to Raleigh corridor came out of recent discussions of the Halifax County Intergovernmental Association, a group that encompasses all local governments within the county. “I don’t have many details to share on it other than a kind of conceptual approach to supporting it this time.”

She said the intergovernmental association supports the effort.

Background

In 2023 the United States Department of Transportation awarded seven corridors but did not award corridors to five others — including the Weldon to Raleigh corridor, according to the state Department of Transportation’s website.

Those not awarded corridors can resubmit grant applications when the period is reopened.

The corridors awarded in 2023 were:

Atlanta to Charlotte 

Charlotte to Kings Mountain

Charlotte to Washington, D.C. 

Fayetteville to Raleigh

Salisbury to Asheville

Wilmington to Raleigh

Winston-Salem to Raleigh​

Corridors besides Weldon to Raleigh which were not selected were:

Greenville to Raleigh

Hamlet to Raleigh

Morehead City to Raleigh

Winston-Salem to Charlotte

The resolution

The resolution notes that many cities, towns, and economic centers in northeastern North Carolina were historically established along what is now the CSX rail line and continue to rely “on this critical infrastructure.”

Weldon, the document says, holds significant historical importance as the home of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. It was completed in 1840 and was recognized at the time as the longest railroad in the world.

“ … Rail infrastructure continues to be vital for economic growth, business development, educational advancement, and cultural enrichment within North Carolina and is essential for maintaining regional and global competitiveness,” the resolution says.

The resolution says that passenger rail service between Weldon and Raleigh “would significantly enhance connectivity, linking northeastern North Carolina to major economic and metropolitan hubs, thereby expanding employment opportunities and access to educational and health institutions.”

NCDOT, the resolution says, has acquired critical rights of way from CSX to facilitate intercity passenger rail corridors, including a corridor between Raleigh and Weldon. “Despite substantial progress and availability of (a) critical right of way, the Weldon to Raleigh passenger rail corridor has not yet received the necessary federal or state funding for project implementation.”

Passenger rail, according to the resolution, is an “economical and environmentally sustainable form of transportation which reduces roadway congestion, decreases reliance on automobile travel, and provides affordable and efficient intercity connections.”

The availability of passenger rail service in Weldon will spur significant local economic development, increase regional tourism, boost local businesses, and generate enhanced tax revenues, the resolution says. “ … A passenger rail station in Weldon will serve an estimated 150,000 residents currently lacking convenient rail service access facilitating equitable transportation options, and improving regional quality of life.”

Economic development and legislative perspectives

Halifax County Economic Development Director Cathy Scott said the talks at the association meetings have centered on the need to bring more awareness to the area’s readiness and willingness to participate in the corridor development and its need for passenger rail. “That’s the reason for the renewed interest in the resolutions to get that process started again so the state can get it on their radar hopefully.”

A Weldon station would eliminate the need for locals to have to travel to Petersburg or Rocky Mount to catch a train, Scott said.

The Weldon to Raleigh corridor remains in the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan.

Meanwhile, state Representative Rodney D. Pierce said, “I’m definitely supportive of any rail service being extended to our area. I know that rural outreach, as it pertains to rail service and things of that nature, is critical if we want to see development in rural North Carolina so that they don’t continue to decline the way they have over the past couple of decades, particularly in the northeast.”