For centuries, transportation has connected people to the economies surrounding them. Countless research studies have proven the closely linked connections between transportation infrastructure and prosperity. Communities near safe, reliable transportation infrastructure experience greater economic growth, as evidenced by employment, workforce supply, and labor force participation rates.

Wake Forest’s local economy provides ample evidence that, even in a new era of hybrid work, accessibility remains vital. A network of roads and highways connects our businesses with employees and customers, our workers with jobs, and our citizens with educational opportunities and quality-of-life amenities throughout the Triangle. Easy proximity to RDU International Airport places Wake Forest firms and residents within minutes of a non-stop flight to 57 U.S. and global destinations.

Then there’s rail. While rail travel holds a storied place in Wake Forest’s rich history, it has largely been dormant since the 1960s, when America’s love affair with the automobile led Seaboard Airline Railroad to discontinue passenger service through our town and many others.

But this 200-year-old mode of transportation is set to return now that a $1.1 billion U.S. Department of Transportation grant is advancing to connect Wake Forest to The Piedmont line, North Carolina’s thrice-daily Charlotte-to-Raleigh train service.

Evidence abounds that passenger rail service can transform economies and industries. In Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, passenger rail positively impacts urban development and redevelopment – facilitating job creation, boosting productivity, and enhancing real estate markets. According to a 2015 study by the National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness, rail service also increases tourism. Indeed, since its launch in the late 1990s, The Piedmont – which is owned by the State of North Carolina but operated by Amtrak – has generated noteworthy tourism activity in Burlington, Salisbury, Kannapolis, and other North Carolina towns the line serves. Wake Forest’s return as a player in intercity rail travel – this time at high speeds – will guarantee more visitors into our community from around the state.

Moreover, modern high-speed passenger trains are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, emitting few harmful exhaust gases. High-speed trains also save significant time for passengers and, importantly, reduce vehicle traffic congestion along nearby thoroughfares.

Town officials are working closely with the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division in readying the 18-mile Raleigh-to-Wake Forest rail corridor for high-speed operation – forecasted within seven years. Over $1.8 billion in total funding will activate engineering design, right-of-way purchases, and track and crossing upgrades that will facilitate safe, convenient, and speedy passenger movement. Exploration of locations for the return of a Wake Forest depot, which will likely be owned and managed by NCDOT, is already well underway. A highly favored Downtown intermodal transit hub is among the priority options under consideration.

In time, additional federal funds will allow for the extension of the line north of Wake Forest, ultimately connecting to Richmond, Virginia, and the northeastern United States. Currently, Amtrak passenger service from Raleigh to Washington, D.C., as well as freight service, must veer east through Rocky Mount before heading north. These and upcoming rail investments are part of an ambitious generational strategy by the federal government to enhance passenger transit from Atlanta to D.C. These new rail assets could also boost additional freight service to and through Wake Forest, potentially opening up new local job creation opportunities in logistics and light manufacturing.

Significant credit to our mayor, Vivian Jones, is due for her vocal and steadfast advocacy for this vision across her tenure. She and our Board of Commissioners, along with other senior municipal officials, continue working closely with the NCDOT in the exhaustive planning process required of a project of this magnitude. They deserve ongoing support and appreciation for their results-oriented leadership and hard work.

The future is glaringly bright for Wake Forest. The return of passenger rail service to our community by 2030 is yet another feather in our cap. As we tackle the work that awaits to see this project to fruition,

let’s also eagerly anticipate the new opportunities it is poised to bring us and celebrate this new milestone in our Town’s already rich history.