NCDOT Study: Restoring Salisbury–Asheville Passenger Rail Could Deliver Major Economic Lift for Western North Carolina

Published: February 21, 2026

A revived passenger rail connection between Salisbury and Asheville could do far more than bring trains back to the mountains for the first time in decades—it could also generate a measurable boost in jobs, wages, business activity, and tax revenue across North Carolina, according to a new economic impact study released by the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

The report—focused on restoring intercity passenger service over Norfolk Southern’s “AS-Line” between Salisbury and Asheville—adds new economic modeling to a conversation that has been building for years: how to reconnect Western North Carolina to the state’s existing “NC By Train” network and the broader national system via Salisbury’s current Amtrak stop.

NCDOT F59PHI #1797, the "City of Asheville," is seen here with its train in Salisbury, North Carolina on May 30, 2014. Warren Calloway photo.

NCDOT’s planning documents describe the proposed Salisbury–Asheville passenger corridor as roughly 139 miles long, running from Salisbury (already served by the state-supported Piedmont and the long-distance Carolinian) westward through a string of foothills and mountain communities before reaching Asheville.

Communities often discussed as part of the corridor include Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, and Old Fort—places whose downtowns historically grew up around the rails and whose leaders have long argued that a return of passenger service could catalyze new investment near stations.

While the newest economic impact study centers on dollars and jobs, it is built atop an earlier feasibility assessment completed in late 2023 that scoped out service assumptions, conceptual costs, ridership ranges, and operational needs.

In its February 2026 press release announcing the study, NCDOT framed the project as both an economic and connectivity initiative—one that would strengthen links between Western North Carolina and the rest of the state.

The biggest projected gains come in two waves:

1) One-time economic impact during project implementation (construction and related activity)

NCDOT estimates that capital investment to implement the corridor could produce a one-time impact measured over the project’s implementation period of 5,280 job-years, $360.5 million in employee earnings, $1.05 billion in economic output, and $33.6 million in combined state and local tax revenue (all expressed in 2025 dollars).

2) Ongoing annual impacts once service is operating

Beyond the construction surge, NCDOT says continuing service and operations could support 305 sustained jobs, $19.9 million in annual employee earnings, $59.8 million in annual economic output, and $1.8 million in recurring state and local tax revenue.

Taken together, those figures are intended to quantify what rail advocates have argued for years: that passenger service can be an economic development tool, not just a transportation amenity—especially for communities positioned as gateways to tourism regions and for towns looking to grow station-area redevelopment.

The economic impact report repeatedly points to tourism as a major driver. Asheville is already one of the state’s best-known destinations, and NCDOT notes that improving rail access could expand the visitor market—especially among travelers who prefer not to drive.

The report’s modeling includes rail-facilitated visitor spending, estimating that visitor activity tied to the corridor could support about 165 jobs and roughly $21.8 million in annual economic output, along with around $1.28 million per year in local and state tax revenue.

But the study also highlights business-related impacts, arguing that rail service can widen labor-market reach for employers near stations and improve access between Western North Carolina and population centers in the Piedmont—an increasingly important point as employers compete for talent and as regions seek to diversify their economies.

Service Concept

The 2023 feasibility study lays out the basic operating vision used for planning: three round trips per day between Asheville and Salisbury, with conceptual end-to-end travel times ranging from roughly 3 hours 25 minutes to 3 hours 48 minutes, depending on stopping patterns and final schedules.

In Salisbury, riders could connect eastward to the Piedmont and Carolinian services and—over time—to expanded service north of Raleigh as additional projects such as the Raleigh-to-Richmond segment advance.

That “connecting hub” concept matters because the ridership model anticipates that many trips would not just be local travel within the corridor, but also journeys that use Salisbury as a transfer point to reach other North Carolina cities or destinations beyond the state.

Ridership Outlook

NCDOT’s ridership modeling for the corridor (with a 2045 planning horizon) estimates:

~100,000 annual local trips between Salisbury and Asheville
Up to 290,000 connecting trips linking Western North Carolina with stations between Charlotte and Raleigh
Up to 160,000 connecting trips to destinations north of Raleigh enabled by future network improvements

All-in, the feasibility study presents a conceptual total ridership range of 328,000 to 550,000 riders per year (with uncertainty largely driven by the share of connecting trips that materialize).

The same table in the feasibility study suggests potential annual revenue of roughly $6.2 million to $10.9 million (in 2023 dollars) for the corridor portion of trips, with an illustrative fare assumption that a yield similar to the Piedmont service could imply about a $24 Asheville–Salisbury fare under the study’s planning assumptions.

Cost and Infrastructure

A major question for any new corridor is the scale of investment needed to accommodate passenger trains while coordinating with existing freight operations. The 2023 feasibility study’s conceptual capital program totals $665 million (2023 dollars), including:

$369 million for track infrastructure, signals, and Positive Train Control-related needs
$81 million for stations
$160 million for equipment (three trainsets)
$55 million for a maintenance facility

On the operating side, the feasibility study sketches annual costs in a range that depends on service assumptions and revenue offsets, presenting a conceptual total annual cost range of roughly $5.0 million to $9.7 million (2023 dollars).

Looking Ahead

NCDOT is direct about one key limitation: the project is not currently funded.

Instead, the corridor is moving through a familiar “pipeline” for modern passenger rail development—advancing from feasibility work toward more detailed service development planning, environmental documentation, and negotiated agreements with the host freight railroad. NCDOT’s economic impact report notes that a more detailed Service Development Plan would be pursued through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program process.

For Western North Carolina, the challenge is turning strong interest and promising modeled benefits into a funded, buildable project—particularly when rail programs must compete with other statewide transportation needs, and when federal grant programs typically require local, state, or multi-partner matching funds.

If implemented, the Salisbury–Asheville corridor would represent more than a new route on a map. NCDOT and regional advocates describe it as a way to “reconnect” Western North Carolina to the state’s intercity passenger rail system—offering another mobility option along a heavily traveled east–west spine while supporting town centers and tourism economies along the way.

For a region that has spent decades without intercity passenger trains, the newest economic impact study is designed to add a concrete argument to the debate: that restoring service is not only about convenience or nostalgia, but also about measurable statewide returns in jobs, wages, and growth—if North Carolina can assemble the funding and partnerships to make it real.

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