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Present & via Zoom:
Martin Wheeler, Jim Frierson, David Robinson, Tom Darling, John Bobinyec, Joel McCurry, Bernard Silverman and Phil Astwood
Secretary's Report:
The report was sent via e-mail and approved with minor corrections.
Treasurer's Report:
Ralph Messera e-mailed a report. Balance 7/16/22 - $2,704.12, Dues $25, Closing Balance 9/20/22 - $2,79.12. 38 Members. NC – 29, SC – 9, Other states – 5.
Consideration of Additional Board Members Needed:
Martin Wheeler – We need to actively recruit potential Board members to propose in the election at the November meeting. David Robinson will send out a list of active members.
Review of Western North Carolina Rail Committee Meeting:
Martin attended via Zoom and gave the following report: About 10 attended including Dan Gurley (Chief of Staff for House Speaker Tim Moore), Jason Orthner (NCDOT Rail Division), Margaret Cannell (Operation LifeSaver), David Huskins (Great Smokey Mountains Railroad), Steve Little & Ray Rapp (co-chairs of the Western NC Rail Committee), and Mark Ray (Saluda Rail Museum). Orthner - Ridership on the Piedmonts and Carolinian has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2019. As a result the 5th frequency of the Piedmont will start next spring. Phase 1 of the Charlotte multi-modal project (track work and platform for the Charlotte Station) is complete. Phase 2 (the actual construction of the station) has been held up by the City of Charlotte. There is now a grant for the ‘S’ line (160 miles between Raleigh and Richmond). It is not clear how much (if any) infrastructure money will be available for extensions to Asheville and Wilmington. The Western North Carolina Rail Plan should be finished soon. There should be an update available at the end of the year. The Western North Carolina Passenger Feasibility Study should also be complete by the end of the year and should provide a lot of information about the feasibility of running trains from Salisbury to Asheville. The modeling will include three round trips a day between Salisbury and Asheville with a maximum speed of 79 mph. There was also a report from Eddie McFalls, the strategic initiatives consultant for NCDOT, who was questioned about station locations in Asheville. Dan Gurly presented information on legislative items including the fact that to date there have been no requests for funds for “trail” projects (trails on former rail lines). He reported that we now have a former CSX employee (Ben Moss) in the state legislature whom we should contact. Margaret Cannell reported on Operation LifeSaver. Mark Ray from Saluda Rail Museum is trying to get funds to study the possible creation of an excursion service between Saluda and Hendersonville using self-propelled vehicles. Martin plans to meet with him to discuss this. Next meeting of the WNCRC is December 7.
Western and Eastern Service:
FAMPCO (the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) is making an extra push to clarify what type of service will be offered between Raleigh and Fayetteville and which route it will take. David – Is there any role for us in contacting the towns along the line from Goldsboro to Wilmington?
Economic Feasibility Studies of SC Passenger Rail Routes:
We have discussed finding a way to raise money to fund such studies and an important component of fund raising is reinstating our 501c3 status. Martin has spoken with Eddie Sullivan, an attorney in Columbia, who is willing to do that if we provide the necessary information. We also should look at other organizations such as RPA or WNCRC with whom we might partner on various projects. In addition Mr. Sullivan said he would be wiling to conduct an official title search of property along the route to Myrtle Beach where tracks would need to be laid. There has also been talk of turning part of the route into Myrtle Beach into a trail. We need to look into this.
Tom Darling - Should we be considering the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program? This provides money for corridor development or enhancement of intercity rail routes under 750 miles. We should find out what NCDOT is doing with this. Jim will check to see what SCDOT knows about this.
Further Discussion of Two Additional Rail Initiatives in SC:
Martin – We decided at the last meeting to concentrate on the Florence to Myrtle Beach route. To that end Martin has done an informal property search to determine ownership of the land along the line. Marion County owns the line that R.J. Corman runs for them and they also own the rest of the right-of-way over to the City of Marion. The City of Marion owns a portion as well. The 5-6 miles from west of Marion to the CSX at Pee Dee has been taken up. If this is re-laid there will be a connection to the proposed freeway where tracks could be laid to Conway and along Rt 22 to R.J. Corman’s line into Myrtle Beach. Jim wrote to Leah Quattlebaum, the project engineer at SCDOT, about the possibility of including a rail line in the I-73 project. She has promised to get back to him with an answer. Tom - How much do cities along the route know about the project? Jim – We invited several officials from Myrtle Beach to attend this meeting, but they were unable to do so. Martin will try to speak with some officials in Myrtle Beach when he is back next month. Mr. Sullivan has also offered to examine the “Rails to Trails” legislation to determine the procedure to reconvert trails into rails.
Update on the Resolution Drive in SC:
Nothing new here, but Martin would like a list of the contacts for representatives in the towns between Florence and Myrtle Beach.
NC On Track Update:
David - Attended R2R industry day in Wake Forest on August 25. The meeting was well attended (about 300). The representative from Virginia discussed the rail expansion in Virginia to Norfolk and Newport News. They also discussed the building of the ‘S’ line which is going to be one of the most advanced lines in the Southeast and it is going to be very convenient allowing the use of the in-town Richmond station. They will also work with the cities along the route to help setup transit and other needed services. Construction should begin in 2025 and extend to 2031. Purchase of the rail segment from Raleigh to Henderson has been completed. A similar meeting will be held in Virginia. John Bobinyec- Will they buy and use the old ‘S’ line right-of-way? It will not allow the increased speeds they are talking about. Martin – Some modification will be done but higher speeds will only be possible in certain areas.
Update on News in NC and SC Affecting Transit and Rail Passenger Service: North Carolina
- John Bobinyec – The baggage car has been removed from the Carolinian due to questions about who is supposed to pay for it. Martin - Amtrak does not want to extend the Carolinian to New Haven. However they are looking at an early Piedmont north from Charlotte at about 6:30 and a later Carolinian about 8:00. The same would occur on the other end with a 5:30 Piedmont south followed by a 6:30 Carolinian. John – This will require that two trains be stored in Charlotte overnight. They will need to work out storage space with NS. John – The plan in Cary is to relocate the station west of North Harrison Street putting it between the two rail lines so that trains such as the Silver Star can pull into the station without blocking any crossings and be loaded without having to make more than one stop. Additionally they want to make the station a multi-modal facility with buses etc. There are plans to restart the Train Host program in October.
South Carolina: Jim – There is a gubernatorial race this year and he has prepared a letter to send to each candidate (Henry McMaster –R and Joe Cunningham – D) seeking their opinions on several issues related to rail passenger service. He proposed the following questions:
- Do you believe that South Carolina needs to have intra-state passenger rail service, i.e. service that connects cities and towns within our state?
- Would you be willing to apply, on behalf of South Carolina, for funding from President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (infrastructure bill) to assist in developing intra-state passenger rail service?
- Would you be willing to support and perhaps sign legislation establishing a
rail “banking” program to preserve abandoned or for sale rail lines for future passenger rail use?
CAPT Newsletter and Website Update:
Report from Don Yehle - CAPT has produced 9 monthly newsletters so far this year. The October edition will contain: 1. Martin’s upcoming presentation to the Rail Users Network’s ‘Southern Comfort Virtual Mini-Conference’, 2. Tributes to Harry Clapp and Joe Roof, 3. CAPT’s presentation at the Western North Carolina Rail Committee meeting, 4. A letter containing questions for the SC Gubernatorial candidates, 5. A recap of today’s meeting, 6 The Indiana Rail Advocates’ call for improving Indianapolis Union Station and 7. A feature story on a CAPT Board member.
Amtrak Update: All trains reinstated when strike was averted.
Reports by Officers and Directors:
Tom will be meeting with the planning director and the open space director for the Hillsborough station this week and will send an update to the Board. In addition to the station the building will include meeting space and town offices. Jim – There will be a virtual Town Hall Meeting on September 23 at 1PM sponsored by Virginia Highspeed Rail and Jason Orthner at NCDOT. The meeting title is: ‘Expanding Rail Across North Carolina and the Southeast’.
Planning for Future Meetings:
November 19 (Annual Meeting) Big Ben Pub - Charlotte
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