Tillis touts $1B for Richmond-Raleigh rail line, thanks Buttigieg

The Biden administration pledged $1 billion for a new rail connection between Richmond, Va., and Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, as part of public transit grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Great news!” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) celebrated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This project is a big win for economic development in the region and I want to thank Secretary Buttigieg for recognizing its importance.”

The S-Line R2R project shortcuts existing passenger rail service, using an out-of-service freight corridor to create a direct connection between Raleigh and Richmond.

Described as a “critical missing link” to regional transit by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, the project would connect already operational rail services to create a direct path from Washington, D.C., and the Northeast Corridor through Richmond, Raleigh and onto Charlotte, N.C.

It’s estimated that the new connection will cut an hour off of rail transit time between the two capital cities, saving time compared to the current circuitous Amtrak route.

Tillis’s office also held up the project as a key to freight and supply chain resiliency in the Southeast.

The rail corridor is expected to be completed by the end of the decade. 

R2R funding is the second of two grants issued by the Department of Transportation on Tuesday for major interurban rail projects. The Biden administration also announced $3 billion for the Brightline West project, a high-speed rail connection between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.