ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Norfolk Southern estimates its former Southern Railway line from Newport, Tenn., to Asheville, N.C., and east to Grovestone, N.C., will reopen by the end of March 2025, a revision of its initial estimate.
In October, shortly after the line was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene, the railroad estimated service could be restored by the end of January [see “Norfolk Southern line into Asheville …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 10, 2024].
The new date includes work on 12 miles of the AS Line east of Asheville, N.C., from milepost S 138.2 to Grovestone, N.C., at S 126.5. In its earlier estimate, the railroad had given no indication when rail service would be restored east of Asheville, N.C., as railroad engineers were still assessing all 29 miles to Old Fort, N.C. Today’s update says NS is still inspecting the 16 miles between Grovestone and Old Fort, at milepostS 109.7 — the segment including the Old Fort Loops. It has not made an estimate when that portion might reopen.
The isolated segment including the loops was badly damaged by landslides, wiping away any semblance of the previous roadbed, according to local reports. Limited accessibility in the mountains near Old Fort has exacerbated the issue, compared to low-lying areas in and west of Asheville Yard on the French Broad River.
Reopening the line east to Grovestone will restore access to a couple of rail-served customers, including an asphalt contractor in Black Mountain, N.C. NS also acknowledged the importance of reopening the remainder of the line, for local communities and for Watco’s Blue Ridge Southern short line, for which NS provides the only connection. Norfolk Southern says it’s also pursuing additional transload facilities.
“We know how critical having that rail connection is to so many of the industries that operate in this region, and we cannot thank our customers enough for their continued patience and support as we work to restore service,” Stefan Loeb, NS vice president business development and first and final markets, said in a press release.
Maybe its time to think outside the box and look at re-engineering the line in places that were reasonable in 1875, but obsolete in 2025.
Still wondering if North Carolina will not eventually step in. Have ran several trains on the loops and mountain biking in the area. It’s a very rugged area and will be very costly to restore.